ZAT: The Immortal Saiyan
by Revu
Summary: Gohan sacrifices his own life to save the earth from Cell and forever alters his fate. Instead of crossing into the Other World, Gohan is spirited away by a higher power in preparation to face the greatest tribulations in the megaverse. AU
1. Taking Responsibility

DRAGON BALL Z-A-T

1st Saga: The Immortal Saiyan

Disclaimer:

-The author does not own any part of the Dragon Ball series, including but not limited to the characters of the story.

-This story is entirely fictional, based from purely fictional premise, none of the characters, actions characters partake in, many contraptions found here-in did not happen/do not actually exist.

-No money was made from the creation or distribution of this fic.

-No animals or people were hurt in the making of this fic.

-The author does not encourage nor endorse others to partake in actions as described within the story.

Warnings:

This story is rated T for the following reasons:

-Depictions of violence and mild gore.

-Mild language.

-Several deaths (Which by the way happens a lot in Dragon Ball… If you are offended by reading about dead people walking around in heaven, hell, or "Other World" then you should probably stop reading this and go read the Slayer's Spell Bible immediately!)

If any of these themes offend you, please do not continue to read this story.

Misc:

In the original Dragon Ball Z series Gohan kind of slips off the sheet after the Cell Games Saga. I'm convinced that Akira Toriyama had no intentions of doing such a thing but was pressured by media and corporate financing to keep Goku as the main character. So this story is intended to parallel the original story after the Cell Games a bit differently with Gohan retaining the spotlight of the series. The first chapter sets the groundwork for the rest of the story so please leave comments and let me know what you think! Feel free to email me at: revu at revstuff dot com

Thanks! And on to the story!

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Chapter 1: Taking Responsibility

* * *

Cell stared Gohan down, pure rage and fury apparent on his face. He had never realized that by coaxing the boy's anger that he would be subject to the unrelenting pummeling of a Demi-God… The boy was just toying with him now and had managed to deliver such a critical blow that Cell couldn't contain Android 18 within his body and was forced to expel her. He stood no chance of victory now, even Vegeta could easily defeat him in this state, but for some reason the boy was not attacking.

"GOHAN! Finish him! What are you waiting for?" Piccolo screamed across the battle field. Piccolo grunted in frustration ready to jump in and finish the job himself. He knew how much of a threat Cell still posed.

"No…" Gohan continued to stare down the genetic freak with a glint of amusement in his eye, "I want him to suffer more." His tone so level it sent chills down the spines of even the most hardened warriors present.

Goku could only stare at his son in disbelief. He hadn't the energy to support him at the moment. The beating he received from the Cell Juniors and his own stubbornness to have refused a senzu bean when it was offered to him left him in an almost crippled state kneeling on the ground and panting heavily. He tried to think of something to tell Gohan to snap him out of this trance… He knew what was going through his son's head; the sudden realization that his power was so great no force in the galaxy could stand in his way. He fought the same emotion when he originally transformed as well.

Cell's mind was reeling for a solution, computing all the possibilities and discovering no route that ended with his successful survival lest Gohan take mercy on him now. Deciding none of those actions were favorable, Cell chose the path of the cornered animal… He would take them all out with him…

Stalling for a few moments, Cell gathered his powers internally and began to build them up over themselves many times over. Finally unable to contain all the power, Cell's body began to grow and contort.

"Just what do you think you're going to accomplish with that?" Gohan called mockingly over to the deformed android, "Build up all the energy you want, you'll never be able to hit me with it!"

Cell began to laugh, maniacally laugh, and his voice echoed throughout the tattered valley, "You fool! I don't have to hit you! I will put all my life force into this blast extinguishing myself to destroy this pitiful planet with all of you on it!"

"No…" Gohan eyes widened and he dashed over to Cell in an attempt to stop him.

"Don't you dare boy! The slightest touch could cause me to ignite, and I already have more than enough energy gathered to destroy most of the earth! It's only a matter of time before I have the energy needed to take you all with it!"

Gohan senses finally returned to him as the realization set in that he had allowed this to happen. His gaze sank to the ground and his mouth hung slightly open. He had never felt more ashamed of himself in his life. He put the entire planet in jeopardy just to sate his own selfish desire for revenge and blood…

Taking a look around at his friends who could only stare in dread at the growing Cell, Gohan began to think of all the lives that would end in a moment if Cell accomplished his self-destruction… And it would all be his fault.

He couldn't allow that… Not in a million years… His father… Piccolo… everyone had trusted him with this responsibility, to take this creature down. Krillin was the first to notice Gohan's eyes sift over them. A sad smile crossed Gohan's face, "What's up with the look Gohan's giving us?" Krillin yelled still in panic from their upcoming doom.

Piccolo was able to pick up the message in Gohan's look. Deciphered through their special bond as student and teacher, he very clearly heard Gohan's "Sorry" and "Goodbye…"

"GOHAN NO!"

Gohan encased both himself and Cell inside an energy shield. He reinforced it with all his power to make sure nothing from the explosion would damage the planet. Floating the shield up into the sky, the sphere gave off enough light to appear as a second sun floating only a few hundred feet above the destroyed arena.

"Gohan…" Goku tried to use his Instant Transmission to save his son, but his energy was too depleted. "No…"

Cell looked at the walls that encased him in panic, realizing that even this plan was being thwarted. "You… you won't have the energy to save yourself and the planet! Even if you save everyone, I'm still taking you with me!"

Gohan grinned as he clasped his hands at his side, "When I think about the alternative, trust me… I wouldn't have it any other way..." More energy began to grow between Gohan's palms. He couldn't afford any part of Cell regenerating after the blast; he had to be sure to end this completely. Even if using his energy blast and shield together would leave him no energy for defense. "KA… ME… HA… ME…" The energy in Gohan's hands intensified creating the largest focal point of ki anyone had ever before witnessed.

"NOOOO!" Cell shouted through the crackling sounds of intense energy.

The sky above the earth darkened to pitch black as the energy in the shield twinkled like that of a distant star moments before supernova, "HAAAAA!" Gohan released everything he had. The impact of the blast detonated Cell immediately. The shield bulged violently as it tried to contain the enormous explosion. With nowhere for it to escape, Gohan felt Cell's energy continuously swirling within the shield, tearing at his flesh and threatening to break through at any moment. It hurt, but he just had to hold on a little longer. He had to make sure that he absorbed enough of the blast to save the earth from harm, and to have sufficiently eliminated every last bit of Cell.

The cellular core Gohan was sensing finally burned away in the blast and Cell's life force was no more. Gohan smile turned peaceful as he realized he had no energy left to sustain the shield. From the surface, the light from the sphere in the sky intensified and in an enormous explosion reminiscent to a nuclear blast, the shell of energy shattered. The shockwave blasted through hundreds of miles in seconds, sending high winds and debris scattering throughout the entire hemisphere.

By the time the explosion cleared, the Z Fighters were all buried under the dirt displaced from the large crater in front of them. Most of the Z Fighters quickly recovered and scanned over the sky for any signs of life. Several moments went by and there were none. The air was perfectly clear, even the clouds had been blown far away.

Still on the ground Goku looked up speechless and in shock until the truth of the situation cracked his demeanor, "Gohan… GOHAN!" He began to pound on the ground with his fist, drawing more blood from his broken knuckles.

Vegeta bowed his head down taking everything in, "Such honor… truly worthy of a saiyan…"

Trunks couldn't believe such a thing could have happened. Twice now Gohan had died for him and the world and there had been nothing he could do about it. It was devastating.

All of the Z Fighters took in the shock in different ways knowing the youngest of them had given his life for everyone.

Piccolo slowly walked over to Goku, his clenched fist trembling. He wanted to strike Goku across the face as hard he could for placing Gohan in such danger, to yell and curse at the man for being a moron of a father, to vent this horrible fury building up inside him from the loss of his only true friend. Instead he rested his hand upon the man's shoulder, "We should go…" Piccolo gulped down his remaining anger as best he could, "We shouldn't make him wait too long you know…"

"Right! The Dragon Balls!" Goku slowly climbed to his feet and allowed Piccolo to feed him a little energy to get his balance back. He placed two fingers on his head and concentrated on Kami's lookout. The rest of the Z Fighers took hold and in an instant were teleported away from the battle field.

The Z Fighters had only just disappeared a moment prior to a midsize boulder being rolled off a large human form. A man wearing a white and brown karate gi and a dusty afro climbed to his feet taking a look at the aftermath of the battle.

Everyone was gone… There was no Cell… no strange people… all empty except for this huge crater. Having no memory of the last few minutes, Mister Satan could only sit back and laugh. He didn't care how but the world was safe. Starting off, the laugh had sounded purely psychotic, but quickly Mister Satan composed himself and continued to laugh in his victory pose.

As the media and Hercule's cronies began uncovering themselves, all they heard was Mr. Satan's resound of victory.

"I DON'T BELIVE THIS!" The reporter shouted, "CELL HAS BEEN DEFEATED, AND MISTER SATAN IS THE ONLY MAN STANDING! MISTER SATAN IS VICTORIOUS!"

Hercule's expression fell upon hearing the man's cry and looked over his shoulder to see everyone cheering for him. Mister Satan was at a loss, he truly had not intended on this kind of scenario. He looked around nervously for any kind of remaining crowd but had found none by the time the reporter ran his way over.

"Mister Satan sir! Please you have to tell us what happened! How did you defeat Cell?" Hercule looked down at the annoying man in the glasses and thought for a moment.

Remembering who he was, Mister Satan placed his hands on his hips and began to laugh once again, "As I said it was all a bunch of tricks all along. They had a bunch of bombs placed all over the field to make it look like they were something else, but once I set off their little side show tricks and revealed how much of a coward Cell really was, it was no trouble at all taking him down! BWAHAHA!"

The reporter adjusted his glasses, "Absolutely stupendous sir! And what about those other losers who thought they stood a chance at unmasking Cell?"

"Well… They all thanked me for beating Cell for them and went on their way. Nothing else to really report about those guys…"

"THERE YOU HAVE IT LADIES AND GENT…" The announcer started yelling until he realized the camera had long since been destroyed. "Perhaps we should be getting back to Orange City?"

Mister Satan nodded, "Yeah… Good idea… your wheels still working?"

Goku and the Z Fighters appeared immediately on the lookout tower. Dende had the balls prepared already fully aware of the events recently passed below on earth. Dende hastily summoned the Dragon, darkening the sky and causing the entire lookout to tremble before the great Eternal Dragon of Wishes.

Goku took a deep breath trying to calm his nerves and turned to Piccolo, "What is the best way to go about doing this?" Goku asked.

Piccolo closed his eyes for a brief moment in thought, "If we wish for everyone killed by Cell to be brought back to life, then Gohan should be among them."

"Understood," Dende clasped his hands and reached up to the dragon, "Dragon, I wish for all those killed by Cell to be brought back to life!"

The Dragon's eyes began to glow bright crimson, "It shall be done!" Several moments passed, the severity of the storm increased as hundreds of souls from the beyond were brought back to earth to live once again.

Calming from its efforts, the dragon returned its gaze to those who summoned him, "Your wish has been granted, state your next wish!"

Goku paused for a moment. His face contorted under his scrutinizing concentration and he placed two fingers against his forehead to try harder, "I don't… I don't sense Gohan anywhere!" He looked over to Piccolo for answers.

Piccolo's arms crossed and his brow furrowed as he flipped through all of Kami's knowledge searching for a reason, "It's possible that since Gohan sacrificed himself to defeat Cell that his death isn't considered to be directly linked to Cell…" In reality Piccolo thought the Dragon should have restored even those indirectly killed… but this was the only way to be sure. "Dende, ask the Dragon to restore Gohan to life specifically."

Dende nodded hurriedly, "Right! Dragon, my second wish is to bring the warrior Son Gohan back to life!"

The Dragon's eyes began to glow bright again. Something was not right, the storms intensified beyond what they should have been and the lookout tilted under the Dragon's astral search through Other World. A moment passed and the glow of the Dragon's eyes faded, "You're wish… cannot be granted…"

Everyone stared in horror at the Dragon, "But… why?" Goku barely whispered.

"The one called Gohan no longer resides in a realm within my dominion, therefore I am unable to locate his soul and restore his spirit to this world."

"Outside…?" Goku sank to his knees and a few tears escaped his eyes. He couldn't believe his son was gone… maybe forever… and he felt so responsible for it… If only he hadn't pushed him to fight so hard… If only he had trained himself harder and taken care of Cell on his own…

There was nothing he could do now. All of his friends watched him in silence unsure of what to do or say. Goku buried his face in his hands and stood to leave. He now had to tell his wife Chichi the news of their son's passing…

The Z Fighters remained silent as they watched their leader depart. No one felt in place now to be asking the Dragon for another wish…

* * *

End Chapter


	2. Finding Purgatory

Chapter 2: Finding Purgatory

* * *

Gohan grimaced feeling slightly nauseous as he slowly awoke. The first thing he noticed was this strange fuzzy feeling beneath him. It wasn't a carpet and really felt so alien that he shot up quickly to see where he was. The sights to behold made him forget to breathe for a moment.

Snapping out of the trance, Gohan slowly stood and looked all around him. The sky was a deep royal purple with bluish streaks of clouds swirling about randomly in the sky like vortexes. The ground was grey and had rock formations that twisted and curled into shapes unnatural to Gohan by his understanding of physics. Even the grass beneath him was more like fur than grass.

Gohan had to stop and think for a moment before he worded aloud, "Where… am… I…?" his most recent memories came flooding back into his mind; the battle between he and Cell, and the final moment when Gohan trapped himself in an energy shell with Cell to absorb the damage from his explosion. Feeling over his head and looking up Gohan made out the golden ring of a halo, "I guess that means I'm dead… But where am I? Is this Heaven or could it be…" Gohan gulped thinking about the alternative. "Maybe I should have listened to my mother more…" Gohan bit his lip and shook his head in panic.

Before Gohan could do anymore wondering, a strange green face dropped in upside down from above only millimeters in front Gohan's face, "Are you lost?"

"AH!" Gohan jumped back and out of instinct assumed a defensive pose. The floating creature turned over upright and floated over to Gohan closer. It appeared to be harmless so Gohan dropped his defenses. The creature was very short and green… rather impish and plump with four pointy ears pointing out of a smooth black cap atop its round head.

"Why would you ask me that?" Gohan finally responded.

"Just wondering because you have a look on your face that reads, *Ahem* 'Help me I'm lost!'" the creature shouted in a voice that matched Gohan's perfectly. "So do you know where you are?"

A chill ran over Gohan's spine, he wasn't used to hearing his voice come out of someone else's mouth, "Other World, right?"

The Imp's eyes widened and glared Gohan up and down, "In what way does anything around here remind you of Other World?" it yelled.

Gohan rubbed the back of his head in a gesture of apology for apparently insulting the creature, "I'm sorry, it was a guess; I've never been to Other World either…"

"Excuses, excuses," the imp waved his hand to dismiss the conversation and turned away walking in the other direction. Gohan was tapped on the shoulder from behind and quickly spun around only to find the same imp back there with his arms crossed, "You should really face people when they're talking to you!"

Gohan looked behind him and back to the imp again. This whole situation was just confusing him now, "OK then… well… where am I?"

The imp chuckled a little to itself before throwing its arms into the air and shouting in a booming grandiose voice, "WELCOME TO THAT WHICH LIES BETWEEN ALL REALMS, THAT WHICH CLAIMS THE LOST SOULS OF THE LONE, THAT WHICH ENTOMBS GODS AND BEASTS ALIKE! I call it Tweener!"

Gohan's eye twitched as he watched unable to mask his confusion at all anymore, "Well… how did I get here?"

The Imp touched down on the ground and rubbed his chin looking thoughtful, "You know… in all honesty I'm not sure myself… Just every now and then someone ends up here and either lives with me or throws themselves into the great void of the damned!"

"The what?" Just as Gohan asked he felt the ground beneath his feet shake and the rock behind him collapse revealing an enormous bottomless pit.

"You feel that bleakness emanating from it?" The imp whistled as he stepped closer, "That's called despair!"

Speechless again, Gohan could only watch as the hole filled itself back up. "That still doesn't answer much…"

The Imp shrugged, "Do I look like a tour guide? All I know is that inter-dimensional travel is risky business and every now and then someone ends up here of all places and can't leave!"

Gohan nodded, "So you're one of these trapped souls?"

"No, you are! I'm just maintenance!" The imp materialized a rake in his hand and started combing the furry grass.

Gohan looked around more at this strange place, "So is there any way out of here besides that black hole?"

The imp threw his rake to the side and smiled widely, "I'm glad you asked! You see every soul who ends up here has to pass… a little test. The test will determine your character, ability, and a lot of other crazy stuff!"

Gohan scratched his head, "Why would getting out of here be determined by some test?"

Crossing his arms looking frustrated again the imp answered, "To see if they're worthy of the great prize that awaits them on the other side… Duh! So are you ready to begin?"

Gohan took a deep breath, clenched his fists and psyched himself up, "OK where do I start?"

The imp snickered, "Well you already failed the IQ portion!" Gohan's jaw dropped as he stared at the funny creature. "I'm just kidding! Geez you're a stiff…" Gohan wasn't able to lighten up as the imp had intended. "Actually I'm not sure what someone like you would have to do. Not many people come through here with a physical body intact..."

Thinking for a minute Gohan said, "So does that mean I should do something physical?"

"Great idea!" The Imp cried, "Alright, go ahead and start scaling that cliff!"

Gohan looked around and didn't see anything, "What cliff are you talking ab…" before Gohan could finish, the Imp snapped his fingers and a cliff with faces as smooth as glass shot up just behind Gohan, growing to thousands of feet in the sky.

"That one!" The Imp walked over and looked up admiring the impossibility of his handiwork.

Gohan put his hands over the tops of his eyes trying to make out the summit. "OK then, here we go!" Gohan immediately jumped with incredible speed high into the sky, leaving the Imp astonished for once as he watched Gohan become a spec and then disappear completely from sight. Gohan used his energy to propel himself all the way to the top in a single leap. Once he reached the top he looked back down to the surface noticing he could just about see the whole planet from up here. "OK, now what?" he called.

The cliff began to plummet back down to the surface, causing Gohan to plop roughly on it at the sudden stop. "That was amazing! You're strong and have lots of energy!" The imp disappeared from Gohan's sight and kept flashing from one side of him to the other, squeezing his arms and sensing his strength, "You're really strong! Where did you get so much power?"

Gohan blushed a little under the appraisal, "Not all from one place really…"

"Fine then… if you're so strong, I want you to try something over here!" The Imp led Gohan to a strange gorge which opened into a canyon. The walls curved inward at the top in far too impossible angles to have been cut by water. At the back of the canyon on the cliff face there was what appeared to be a larger boulder blocking a cavernous path. The boulder had a strange glyph on it which looked like a beam clashing through a triangle and becoming a fine line on the other side.

"I want you to try moving this rock!"

Gohan put his hand on the boulder. It was no ordinary stone, it resonated with enormous energy, "OK, I'll try…" Gohan gripped the boulder as best he could and tried lifting. The Rock made a cracking sound like it was moving, before it moved far though the stone begin to glow where Gohan's hands gripped it. With a strong burst of energy Gohan was blown away from it. He was flung with enough force to crash through a nearby rock wall.

The imp gulped and trotted over to the caved formed from Gohan's body and peaked inside, "It wants to play rough…" Gohan's voice echoed from within as he steadily pulled himself free. Gohan grit his teeth, powered up his ki, and concentrated his energies into his hands he approached the boulder again. Beams of energy protruded from both the rock and Gohan's hands binding them to each other. The entire cliff side began shaking as sparks of energy skipped across the strange rocky surface.

Gohan strained his energies further and dug his fingers into the boulder in order to hold onto the massive stone, actually breaking through the surface and smashing the solid rock in his hand. Gohan's ki flared and canceled out the repelling energy within the stone. The seal on the boulder vanished and in a great heave Gohan chucked the heap of rock away.

A deep dark cave could now be seen behind where the boulder once had been. The symbol which had been etched into the stone faintly appeared over the opening before quickly dissolving into the air. The glow it left behind was absorbed into the passage and created a spatial vortex. "I don't believe this…" The Imp shook his head as he regarded the monumental feat, "Who are you?"

Gohan turned around, "My name's Son Gohan, but you can just call me Gohan. What's your name?"

The Imp gulped, "Phips, call me Phips."

Gohan shook Phips's hand, "Nice to meet you Mister Phips, so what's next?"

Phips finally wore off the shock, "Next? Next we get the _hell_ out of here!"

Phips hurriedly hopped through the Vortex, and Gohan was quick to follow. The Vortex left them in a large dark cavern; if it could be called a cavern. There was a strange murky sky but it was plainly visible that there was something solid above the clouds.

"So you really _were_ stuck in that tweener zone after all huh Phips?" Gohan asked trying to strike up some conversation to put an end to the eerie silence.

Phips teetered from side to side in thought, "Kind of…"

"What do you mean 'kind of'?" Gohan chuckled.

"Well it's been a LONG time… You see I was trying to become an ogre to aid King Yemma many eons ago. As you can imagine it's a little difficult for someone of my stature to pose as an ogre… But I figured what the heck, a job is a job right?" Phips smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Well one day… I got bored alright? King Yemma was on break so I started playing the stamps on his desk… He kinda startled me when he got back with his big burly voice shouting 'JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?'" Phips once again copied the voice perfectly. "He made me jump and I accidently flung the stamps everywhere and… I… accidently… hit King Yemma with the "HELL" stamp…"

Gohan blinked a few times, "Wait… would that even work?"

"Apparently so, 'cause in a puff of smoke, King Yemma was whisked away to the jail cell in Hell where everyone he'd ever banished there kind of ganged up on him and beat him up pretty good…"

"Ouch…" Gohan cringed having an idea where this story was going now.

Phips chuckled to himself finding that part rather funny, "But when he finally got out of Hell and made it back to the check in station…" Phips look drooped slightly, "Let's just say there was no place to hide… He got so angry he actually booted me out of the dimension entirely! I spent some time floating around in just an empty void until I finally landed back there."

Gohan nodded, "But then what was all that talk about some great prize at the end of a test?"

"Oh that was just a rumor we started to attract tourists!" Phips waved his hand as if it should have been obvious.

Gohan shook his head, "You're strange…" This only caused Phips to laugh.

The two walked on for a while longer and quite unexpectedly crashed into an invisible wall, "Ow, what the hell?" Phips rubbed his head and put a hand up against the wall to feel it. "Why didn't I sense that coming?"

The wall began to glow with a strange energy. A feminine voice echoed from the field, "Weary travelers from realms afar, beyond this gate lies the center of all things, sacred and untouched, guarded by three who will not permit effortless passage. The tribulations ahead may very well result in your permanent end. Heed these words well as they are the final warning you will receive in this place." In a flash of energy the wall was no more.

"That was weird…" Phips looked around, "What do you suppose she meant?"

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Gohan's guard was up.

"I say we keep going!" Phips started climbing the stairs on the other side.

"Definitely not going back," Gohan nodded and kept following.

The two climbed the swirling stairs for a good ten minutes before they reached a great door, large enough for King Yemma himself to easily walk through if it were open. Seated at the side of the door was a humanoid with the head of a mustang wearing a black cloak.

"He must be one of the guardians…" Phips whispered to Gohan.

"Indeed, you have reached the first trial of the center realm!" The being spoke with a loud booming voice.

"And he apparently has excellent hearing…" Phips added.

Gohan bowed courteously to the guardian, "So this is a trial, what is it we are required to do?"

The cloaked horse's head began to laugh almost menacingly, "Simply open your true selves…"

"What the heck does that mean?" Phips crossed his arms not at all amused by riddles.

The two were about to question the guardian further when their vision was overtaken by a bright light. Gohan became defensive immediately; he couldn't see or feel anything. "Phips! Stay close! Phips? Where are you?" He began to feel as if he were spinning out of control. That and the bright light was making him feel extremely nauseous. Had he had anything to eat that day, he would have been losing it right now. There was no ground beneath his feet otherwise he'd never be able to remain standing.

Gohan's eyes snapped open, and his body jumped with a start. A comforting hand on his shoulder pushed him back down onto the bed, "Shh, it's alright Go-chan…" a woman wrung out a cloth and placed the damp towel back on Gohan's head, "You've had a really bad fever sweetie, I'm sure you were just having a nightmare. Sleep... sleep…"

Gohan's eyes slid shut, his memories slowly fading away.

* * *

End Chapter


	3. Embedded Virtue

Chapter 3: Embedded Virtue

* * *

The sun shone in through the window and fell upon Gohan's face. Scrunching his eyes for a moment, he finally awoke and opened his eyes. Something wasn't quite right. An unsettling feeling washed over him.

Gripping the sheet under him he could tell he was on a straw bed. The room that surrounded him was very simplistic, walls made of wood, and a frame on the ceiling supported a roof made perhaps from thatch. He looked around confused, not really understanding what was happening. Looking out the window he saw a farming community that looked like a book he once read involving ancient china.

The door to the room opened and a thin woman with long black hair slowly walked in, "You're awake," She smiled softly.

Gohan stared at the woman for a moment, "Who… who are you?"

The woman's eyes watered over slightly, she hurriedly walked over to Gohan's bed and hugged him, "My poor boy… you were so sick… do you really not remember your own mother?"

Gohan shook his head and images began flooding his mind… this house, this woman, this small farming village. Gohan hugged the woman back, "I'm so sorry mom! I woke up and it was like I couldn't remember a thing!"

The woman smiled and kissed the top of Gohan's head, "It's alright dear, you're better now, everything is going to be ok… You just need more rest." The woman slowly stood letting Gohan go, "I'll bring you some soup, just stay in bed."

After another day of resting, Gohan dressed and tried going for a walk with his older brother. The villagers and field workers all smiled and waved at him happy to see he pulled through the horrible sickness alright. The two made it to where their father was working hard in the fields.

Gohan's father saw them approaching and dropped what he was doing to run over to Gohan. He kneeled down and hugged him, rubbing his goatee against Gohan's face making the boy laugh before hoisting him up onto his back as if he were still a small child. His father was a large man so it wasn't a difficult feat.

"You are going to be a strong one Go-chan!" the man laughed before exclaiming, "My son has survived a sickness which has taken great men in their prime with all their strength! Do you hear me? My son is destined for greatness!"

Gohan laughed and rested his head on his dad's shoulder.

A few days later Gohan had regained enough strength to help out in the fields again. He donned a farmer's hat and robe and walked through the leek garden with a small hoe slung over his shoulder.

Gohan was working on weeding the garden when his brother walked up to him, "Some of those you have to really dig deep to get them out."

"I know," Gohan laughed, "I've only been doing this for five years!"

His brother chuckled with him, "OK just making sure you remembered!"

Gohan's brother became quiet and looked off toward the village entrance as a strange sound reached their ears. Gohan turned around looking for the source of the sound, "What's that?"

A cloud of dust was rising in the distance. Squinting as hard as he could, Gohan was able to make out men riding atop great hoofed tigers. "I wonder where they're going in such a hurry…"

One of the riders in front pulled out a strange bow and shot an arrow into the sky. In mid flight, the arrow burst in flames, and landed on a nearby roof, igniting the thatch immediately.

"Oh my god…" Gohan's brother grabbed him and started running in the opposite direction.

The town crier began ringing the bell of alarm signaling the town was under attack by bandits. Judging from the size of the dust cloud that followed them, they were great in number.

The two boys ran toward the house. "Ami-chan, Go-chan!" turning, they saw their father coming from the other way. Once caught up he put his hands on both boys, "Go, hide, it is the Raz'olnin clan attacking us… they are very vicious!"

"What about you dad?" Gohan cried.

Their father twisted the head of his hoe and revealed it to be the hilt of a samurai sword, "I will defend you all with my life, now hide!"

Gohan stared, stunned by his father's actions, until his brother started dragging him off. More arrows fell from the sky, lighting many homes on fire. "The house isn't safe Go-chan! Come on!" his brother led him behind the house where a large stone range had been built to safely cook on.

Gohan's brother slid open the metal cover to the underside of the range where the ashes collected after cooking, "It's really dirty in there, but this thing isn't about to burn down! Quick get in!" Gohan crawled in trying not to sneeze as he breathed in the soot.

Once Gohan was in the door started to close, "Wait, aren't you coming?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine! Just do as father said and stay hidden!" The door closed save for a small space to get clean air through and a small peak outside.

Within minutes nearly the entire village was burning. Some of the villagers tried to fend off the bandits using just their hoes, axes, and pitchforks. Most of the villagers however stood no chance against the better equipped bandits as they tried to defend their village.

Finally the bandits made it all the way to Gohan's house. His father stood his ground before it. One of the tiger beasts lunged at him, but in a blinding fast move he was able to drive his sword through the tiger's throat.

A well decorated man, apparently the leader of this troupe, approached. "You're not like the other simple farmers. Well trained in combat and the ways of bushido… I'd say perhaps retired from the Shono Ita Military Special Forces?"

Gohan's father squinted his eyes, "What of it?"

"Oh nothing, I'm just thinking it's admirable for someone of your status to be living out the quiet peaceful life when you have the potential to be governing great cities and accumulating fabulous riches. But quite frankly, that's your loss."

The father stood his ground firm, "You will leave us in peace…"

The bandit leader grinned smugly, "No, I'm afraid not, at least not until we have found what we're looking for…"

Gritting his teeth, Gohan's father asked, "And what are you looking for?"

"The priceless Shikham gem that this village treasures," the man stated as if it should be obvious.

Without thinking twice about it, Gohan's father responded, "That gem is worthless compared to the people who make up this peaceful village! Take it! It is kept on top of the bell tower in the center of the village. Now leave!"

The bandit king laughed and made a slight bow of appreciation from atop his mount, "Ah, I see, thank you very much… Do it!"

Gohan's father looked stunned for a moment before realizing someone had managed to sneak around behind him and stabbed a knife through his back. "Ahhh…" The knife carved into his heart and then he began to fall to his knees.

"NOOO!" Gohan's mother screamed and ran out from the house after seeing her husband stabbed but immediately one of the tiger beasts jumped in from the side and mauled its teeth into her throat.

The bandits started laughing heartlessly at the couple lying on the ground before them, bleeding to death, when one of the bandits to the left made an odd gurgling sound. A kunai had been driven into the back of his neck by young teenage boy. "You killed my parents!" he shouted in defiance.

"Oh dear…" The bandit king sounded completely dulled by the interruption.

Kicking the dead bandit's body off the beast it was riding; Ami quickly spun to his feet and stood upon the creature's back to leap through the air at the bandits' leader.

Watching the boy come at him in midflight, the bandit chief calmly pulled out his bow and shot an arrow at the approaching boy. The arrow struck him directly in the chest, reversing his motion flinging him backward. Ami's eyes widened as the pain of the strike set in when the arrow ignited inside him, burning him immediately.

"I think that's all of them, now where did he say that gem was?" the man turned his mount around and slowly galloped back to the bell tower, his men close behind.

Gohan's eyes were blinded by tears as he slowly crawled from his place of hiding. He was covered in soot and more ash was falling from the sky as the remains of the village began to settle.

Gohan sat close to the bodies of his deceased family and let the day's events settle in his mind. He knew he couldn't just stay here, so he took his brother's and father's weapons and started walking.

Fueled by heartache, he walked all night long. The next day he found a river he was able to rest at and clean up. While he was there, Gohan took time to think and stared at the weapons he had brought with him. Anger began swelling up through every pore of his body as the memories of his family's murder played over and over in his mind. Lifting up his father's sword he remembered how his father had used it and took his first swing at the air. With unyielding determination, Gohan began to train himself based off those memories. It surprised even him at how quickly he took on to the weapon's usage, as if he'd been born to wield them. Weapons in hand, there was only one choice of action clear in his mind… He would find the Raz'olnin bandits, and he would make them suffer for what they'd done. He had to make sure they would never do the same thing to anyone else.

With this single goal burned in his mind, Gohan spent months traveling. He used the time finding towns, talking and gathering information. At the same time he honed his skills focusing on speed, agility, and silence. It had taken over a year, but he finally found someone affiliated with the bandits who was drunk enough to disclose the location of their hideout.

Several days of running through back country dirt roads later, Gohan found himself staring at the hideouts wall only a few meters off. The area was well guarded, but he was prepared. He scaled the sharply carved log wall near the back where no one would see him. He gracefully gripped around the puncturing spikes and threw himself over them.

As he walked through the halls of the building that might as well have been a palace, Gohan had no qualms with slitting the throats of guards who stood in his way from behind and hiding their bodies. After wandering the halls for an hour though it was only a matter of time before someone noticed something was amiss. A loud bell started ringing which Gohan assumed meant someone had found a body or two.

Gohan started to run. He turned a corner and came face to face with a legion of twelve bandits. The bandits saw him and drew their weapons and began their charge.

Gohan clenched his teeth tight and growled ferociously, charging at them as well. He jumped and tackled the men in front. Using his father's sword he fended off the remaining bandits, stabbing at them whenever there was an opening. He took a few good cuts to the arms and torso, but nothing life threatening.

He managed to quickly immobilize the lot of them. He took in several deep breaths to recover from the exertion of the battle. He didn't have time to rest for long as more footsteps came running from around the corner.

Gohan pulled a pouch off of one of his bandit victims and threw it. Thankful it was what he thought it was when the pouch ignited and the room filled with dense smoke. He ran back the other way trying to think of a way to hide.

Looking up he noticed how the ceiling tiles were precariously seated on top of wooden framework. Pulling out his sword again, Gohan stabbed at one of the ceiling tiles and pushed it up out of the way. He was quick to jump up and pull himself into the space above the ceiling. From this angle he couldn't remove his sword from the tile, so he settled for kicking it off and putting the tile back where it was.

He crawled through the space silently and listened for any sound of nearby bandits. After having crawled quite far and not hearing anything for some time, Gohan decided it was time to sneak back down into the stronghold.

Gohan gently lifted a ceiling tile up, took a look around to make sure there were no guards about, and slipped back down. He found himself in some kind of bedroom. It was well decorated, and at first he thought it could very well be the room of the man he saught.

Looking over to the bed, Gohan noticed there was someone sleeping in it. He slowly approached, his Kunai in hand, and looked over the sleeping form. It was a young boy, maybe eight or nine years old. During his travels Gohan had heard rumors that the bandit leader had a single child.

This presented quite the opportunity. Gohan could easily kill the boy to make his father suffer from the same loss that he felt from the death of his family. A wicked grin came over his face as he pointed his kunai down towards the boy's chest.

He lifted the blade and drove it straight towards the boy's heart. The dagger stopped suddenly, already pressing up against the clean white night shirt and Gohan took a step back. His facial features flushed and he had to quickly shake his head as he couldn't believe he'd actually almost done something so terrible. The boy was innocent; he had no control over the actions of his father. Even if his father was a monster, it was no indication that he would grow into one as well…

Gohan backed into a corner in the room and sank along the wall to the floor, tears starting to freely stain his face. It finally sunk in that he was allowing his pain to destroy him.

The door to the bedroom swung open with a loud clang causing the boy in the bed to sit up abruptly, "Otousan?"

Hearing the boy call his father, Gohan slowly looked up seeing the same decorated man who had destroyed his village. Gohan's expression darkened as his teeth clenched tight and he bared them ferociously.

In a split second Gohan was on his feet and running toward the man. Kunai in hand, Gohan was ready to strike the moment he was close enough, "For my family! For Tulia!" He shouted as leapt for the bandit king.

The leader of the bandits snarled as he pulled out his bow once again and shot at the boy flying toward him. The world around Gohan slowed to a crawl as the arrow approached. Gohan rolled in midair, and batted the arrow away with his Kunai. The man's eyes widened as he was unprepared for the boy's incredible speed. Unable to launch another counter attack, the bandit leader took the kunai to the heart. Gohan collided into the man's body with enough force to launch the two of them from the room, out the door, and far onto the floor in the hallway. Gohan landed on top with his fist still firmly clenched around the hilt of the kunai.

The bandit king looked from the dagger piercing out from his heart into Gohan's eyes, "Good show…" and then passed away. The guards in the hall fell silent in shock and took no further actions. Gohan continued to stare at the slain body laid out under him, dead by his hand. Dead, not for his own pain, but for the pain of others and Gohan felt he made the right decision…

Gohan's vision turned white and he felt like he was falling. His senses were useless and all he could do was scream. He fell to his knees and could only continue his screaming until he felt that he was securely on firm ground again.

"Pure of heart and full of courage, willing to deliver justice to the wicked and protect the innocent no matter what forms they take… You have passed."

"Huh?" Gohan opened his eyes and looked around. He was kneeling on the ground in front of the gigantic double door, and the man with the mustang head was standing over him.

"What… was that?" Gohan was still breathing heavily.

"An alternate life, that which might have been or perhaps already was," The being spoke in riddle.

"So none of that was real… That family… that life… it was just a test…" Gohan's rubbed the sweat from his brow as his breathing started to come back under his control.

Just as he finished, Phips jumped up with a start giving off a slight yell.

The guardian looked over to Gohan's impish companion, "Meaningful, yet not the best choices. Patience is a virtue. The rest if for you to ponder… you have passed… barely…"

"Was that a dream?" Phips looked at the guardian and Gohan, "If you were going to force me to dream you could have at least thrown in some chocolate or cute girls! Geesh!"

The mustang guardian shook his head. He stepped aside and the gate opened. "You both may now pass…"

"Thank you." Gohan got up and he and Phips went on to the next room. "Man… that was intense." Gohan looked over to Phips, "It was like I had to lead a different life and make a whole lot of decisions… What was yours like?"

Phips laughed, "Well it mostly revolved around a cheese bun, solar radiation, and a mullet… you know… it's probably best I don't go into detail..."

Gohan blinked a few times but shrugged it off, "Man if that was just the first trial…"

Phips nodded, "I know what you mean… But there's no stopping us now! Just a little further to the next one, come on!" Phips ran up the next hallway with Gohan close behind.

* * *

End Chapter


	4. The Crucible

Chapter 4: The Crucible

Gohan and Phips continued journeying onward through the mysterious cave. After another several minutes of stair climbing the two of them began to hear a strange huffing sound.

All four of Phips ears twitched and pointed toward the sound's direction. The deep noise was like a bass drum going off to his sensitive hearing, "I bet whatever's making that sound must be big, like monstrously gigantic! Like it could probably step on us and not even notice we were there!"

"OK I get it!" The description wasn't helping Gohan's own assurance. After what happened in the last trial he wasn't sure what to expect up ahead.

Just a little ways further up the spiraling stair case and they found themselves in another large room, this time with a dragon.

"Oh wow…" Phips looked over the enormous serpent. It had two heads, and behind it were two large gates similar to the one before.

The dragon made no movement; it stayed still and continued breathing heavily, steam escaping its nostrils with each exhale.

"Umm… Hello!" Gohan called to the dragon trying to be friendly.

Phips gave Gohan a strange look when the dragon telepathically responded, "I am the second guardian of the center realm and behind me are two gates. One leads to greatness which could overwhelm, while the other leads to far darker fates."

"Oh wow, so this is like a fifty-fifty chance?" Phips pulled out a quarter, "Well, I hope you're lucky kid…"

The dragon head on the left continued, "You have one inquiry to ask a single face if you wish to secure the path true," It stopped and the head on the right carried on, "However be warned, one head will speak the truth post haste, yet the other will speak nothing but lies to you."

"And let me guess that you're not going to tell us which is which…" Phips tapped his forehead in thought. "This is a crazy trial! It's still all luck because even if we ask a head which door to choose it could be the lying head and give us the wrong door! We might as well just ask it how long before the Cubs win the World Series!"

Gohan thought hard about it, "No, there's a way out of this…"

Phips looked disheartened up at Gohan, "I'm sorry Gohan, but without knowing which head lies, it's impossible to figure out which door is the right door with only one question… maybe if we had two…"

Gohan laughed, "And how would two questions help?"

"Well… I could ask it which head is the liar… and… crud…" Phips stomped his foot, "This is hopeless!"

"No it's not! I know there's a way to figure this out!" Gohan kept thinking reeling through questions in his mind looking for something that could guarantee success.

"How can you be sure there's a right way at all in a place like this?" Phips crossed his arms starting to look discouraged

Gohan tried consoling the imp a little, "It's just that when I was a kid my mom used to have me read all kinds of riddle books. The answers are never obvious there's always some obscure way of being able to solve it.

The two sat in thought for a while, "What door is the right door? What door isn't the right door? What do we have to do to not die? Is there a trap door around here somewhere? Which head is the liar? How many fingers am I holding? That might work…" Phips kept thinking out loud. "Maybe there's a way to tell which head is the liar and which one is honest. I've always been a big fan of the right is right theory…" Phips turned and looked at both faces of the dragon, "Yeah look at the one on the left… it's definitely got a meaner look to it, I bet it's the liar!"

Gohan shook his head and the two sat in silence thinking. Time passed, Phips got bored and began pacing around Gohan, who pinned him to the ground shortly thereafter to end the distraction. The two shifted positions every few hours, Phips fortunately had snacks in his robe that the two shared while staring blankly in search of answers. The twin headed dragon waited patiently, never moving besides the faint trace of its breathing.

After staring at the sky from the ground for a long time, a smile slowly crept across Gohan's face, "I got it!"

"What?" Phips jumped up smiling excitedly.

"Yeah, come on!" Gohan climbed to his feet and approached the dragon, "OK Guardian Dragon, I choose to question the head on the left!" The head lowered to listen to Gohan's question.

"Are you sure you want the head on the left?" Phips asked concerned. "I just told you even right is normally right!"

"Trust me, it doesn't matter which head you ask." Gohan patted the imp on the back.

"Huh?" Phips eyes widened looking confused.

The eyes of the addressed head squinted discerningly at the two of them, "Speak your question."

Gohan took a deep breath and worded his question as best he could, "OK dragon, which door would the other head say is the door that would lead us to the proper path?"

The Dragon nodded, "The other head would tell you to take the door on the right."

"Thank you!" Gohan smiled to the dragon.

"Ha! What I tell you, right is right!" Phips started walking towards the door on the right.

"Phips no! Stop!" Gohan ran up to him and grabbed him abruptly before he touched the door.

"What, I thought you figured it out and it said to take the door on the right?" Phips looked at the door and back to Gohan.

Gohan stopped to explain, "I asked it which door the other head would say is the good door, so if it is the truthful head it would tell us the wrong door because that's the one the lying head would tell us to take, and if it was the lying head it would tell us the wrong door because it's lying about which door the other head would tell us to take. So in either case we need to do the opposite."

Phips blinked a few times, "Wow… That's… OK…"

Gohan gulped slightly and walked over to the door on the left and put his hand against it

Phips noticed Gohan was still nervous, "Are you sure about this Gohan? I mean living back there in Tweener was bad enough so I'm not looking forward to spending the rest of eternity suffering through the rift of damnation."

Gohan nodded and pushed the door open. The two heads of the dragon snickered as the door slowly creaked open. On the other side was nothing but blackness pulling them in. It was impossible to resist the force as it appeared so suddenly, and the door slammed shut behind them as soon as they were through. Once on the other side the two were surrounded by shear bleakness and were falling.

"Darn it Gohan! I told you right is usually right!" Phips yelled as they continued to plummet through the darkness.

Gohan's eyes were wide as he went over the riddle again in his head, "Did I decide too soon? Was there something in the riddle I missed? The dragon would have lied… either head would have lied…" Gohan couldn't control his decent at all, his power apparently useless to him in this domain.

"GOHAN!" Phips called his voice growing more distant.

"No…" Gohan's mind was forced to reel through the memories of his life of when his friends had counted on him… and he let them down. All the times he'd messed things up because he didn't believe in himself that he had it within him to do what was necessary. Memories as far back as when Nappa was sent hurling in his direction by Piccolo and he didn't believe he could finish the saiyan off the way his sensei wanted. The time Krillin hung limply off of Frieza's horn and his blood splashed across his face. He never believed he was able to do the right thing, or do anything to help.

"Not anymore…" Gohan said out loud in the darkness, his resolve immediately solidified. "That's not me anymore… I KNOW I solved it correctly, I KNOW I picked the right door!"

There was a flash of light and Gohan and Phips were deposited none too gently on the hard ground in a well lit room. This room appeared as the first with a grand door and a dragonoid person standing beside it.

"You have the confidence in yourself needed to proceed…" The door slowly opened as Gohan and Phips climbed back to their feet.

Phips stared at the door in shock, "Whoa, you're telling me the last door wasn't the actual door, but just another part of the trial to get to the next door needed to pass in order for the door to open?" Phips spun around and fell back to the ground.

Gohan hauled Phips back up and the two walked past the dragon guardian. Gohan gave the guardian a self assured smile as they continued past.

"This stuff is crazy!" Phips rubbed his temples as he walked, "I mean seriously, I was stumped on that last trial… and you know what the worst part is?"

Gohan shrugged as he started climbing more stairs, "What?"

"That after all that… we still don't know which head was the lyer!" Phips shouted which made Gohan laugh. "It's a good thing you know your stuff though; you're not just strong but smart too!"

Gohan smiled at the compliment, "And if the voice we heard at the entrance is right, then there's only one more trial before we're out of this place!"

"Yes! Thank heavens!" Phips skipped ahead and dashed up the stairs ready to meet the next challenge.

As Gohan rounded the last corner before making it to the room with the gate, he could have sworn he saw the shadow of a robed figure standing atop the large stone exit.

"This is strange, there's no guardian here!" Phips looked all over the gate for any sign of godly beings. After finding none, he looked back over to Gohan, "Maybe he went to the bathroom?"

Gohan shrugged. "I have no… idea…" Gohan quieted down as he started to feel something familiar building. A chill crept across his spine that he just couldn't shake off, "What is this?"

Phips looked questioningly at him when the gates opened all on their own. "Oh wow," Phips said excitedly as he began plodding to the exit.

A surge of warning sparked through Gohan's mind and he dashed toward Phips, "Wait, NO!" Gohan jumped in front of Phips and blocked a punch that was directed at the smaller creature.

Phips fell back and looked up at this new being before them. It was tall… very tall and green with black plates and a white face with purple markings. It had insect like wings in the back and a stinger. "What is that?"

Gohan grit his teeth as he pushed him back, "Cell!" Gohan couldn't believe he was facing him again; the monster was in his perfect form no less.

Cell began to laugh his all too familiar evil laugh which resounded through their new arena as his wings opened and he kicked Gohan off his fist and charged into battle. Gohan immediately powered up to Super Saiyan and countered the attack. The two disappeared from sight and began clashing at speeds so quick the only thing Phips saw were the blurs and shockwaves of their impacts.

Cell kicked Gohan across the face and sent him sailing down the stairs. Once Gohan was back on his feet he powered up the rest of the way to his second Super Saiyan transformation and in a streak of lightning like speed he zoomed across the room only exiting the super speed boost once his fist was firmly planted in Cell's gut. That same move crippled Cell the last time they fought, but this time Cell just shrugged it off and continued fighting.

"What is this…?" Phips felt something odd about the opponent Gohan was fighting, something not natural.

The two combatants were fighting at an infuriating intensity. The speed and strength of their fight appeared little more than an incredibly violent thunder storm from below. Gohan dodged another kick by back flipping out of the way and gathered his energy as he landed, "KAMEHAME…" Cell's eyes widened, yet a grin formed on his mouth as Gohan strained more power into the attack, "HAAA!" A huge beam of energy erupted from Gohan's hands, its light filled the room and caused the ground to quake.

Phips took hold of the gate to steady himself from the shaking when he noticed the blast was causing the foundation of the gate to crack. "Oh boy…"

Cell held his arms out to his side and stood his ground as the extraordinary attack engulfed him. The beam erupted and chunks of the room were blown in every direction. Phips was practically screaming as the grey debris flew past him and the columns supporting the gate began to crumble.

The light and dust began to clear when both Gohan and Phips heard the laugh continue. Cell stood as confident as ever right in the focal point of the blast. "No way…" Gohan whispered.

Cell's wings opened, and again he dashed up to Gohan delivering a solid punch to the jaw. He began pummeling Gohan hard until the boy got over the shock and caught Cell's punch. With Cell's fist firmly in his grip, Gohan chucked the android to the surface. Cell landed with a hard crash on the ground only a split second before Gohan's knees crashed down onto his face at full force. The resulting crater spread for hundreds of feet with Cell's head at the center.

Once Gohan was off of him, Cell was still able to jump right up as if nothing was wrong. "He's… he's too much…" Gohan's breathing had become labored as he was tiring out quickly from the intense fight.

"Is that all you have boy?" Cell mocked and resumed his assault.

Phips continued to watch Cell closely. Something was poking at the back of his mind, something he should be realizing. This creature fighting Gohan was abnormally strong, had no halo, and that meant it wasn't dead. Or maybe this was all some kind of trick after all…

The imp's head snapped up finally realizing what was happening, "Gohan!" Phips shouted, "The monster you're fighting isn't real!"

Gohan looked over to Phips and was rewarded with a hard punch to the gut. Gohan flared his ki to get Cell off of him, and then blasted him away to buy some time. "His punches sure feel real!"

Phips nodded, "That's because he's fighting you inside your mind. This external creature is only the manifestation of your internal fears! You need to overcome your fears to destroy him!"

"Oh yeah, that's easy on the spot!" Gohan remarked sarcastically as Cell jumped back up and lunged forward again. Gohan swung at Cell as he approached, but Cell vanished from sight and appeared behind Gohan, delivering a hard downward thrust with both fists clenched to the back of Gohan's neck.

Gohan fell from the sky and made a new crater where he landed. Cell started laughing again staring down at Gohan's fallen form. Gohan managed to roll himself over and look up at Cell from the ground. Cell only continued to laugh as Gohan's gaze stoned over.

Gohan took in a deep breath and focused his concentration on his emotions. Playing over his thoughts of Cell, Gohan slowly stood and looked up at the ferocious villain, "I'm not afraid of you Cell!" The laughing stopped and Cell looked down at Gohan with disinterest apparent on his face.

Opening his wings once again, he lunged down from the sky, fist extended he drove it into the boy and crushed him against the ground again. Gohan coughed up blood as his body became the center of the largest crater yet on the battle field.

"Foolish boy!" Cell laughed as he lifted up into the sky. Energy gathered above his head; enough energy to end this battle.

Gohan continued to stare at his old enemy sorting things out in his mind. "What am I really afraid of…?" scenarios started playing through his head. He wasn't afraid of Cell. He wasn't afraid of a stronger opponent anymore… not like he was when he was a small child.

"Gohan needs to spend more time studying!" Gohan heard her voice clearly in his head and his eyes widened.

"Mom…" He saw his parents arguing over him; both had completely different perspectives on how to raise him. And he was caught in the middle trying to please both. It scared him… no, it terrified him to let either of them down. Facing their disappointment was truly his worst fear.

Phips eyes grew wide as he stared at the creature in the sky gathering enough energy to wipe them both from existence. It was only a matter of seconds now…

Gohan continued to watch mental images of his parents argue with each other about him in his mind. Each one wanted him to grow to become something different and he'd always been too scared to really stand up to them and tell them what he wanted.

Standing from the crater, Gohan looked up at Cell once again, "Mother… Father… I'm sorry…" He saw the ghosts of their images float by Cell in the sky, "BUT MY LIFE IS MINE! MY DECISIONS! MY CHOICES TO MAKE! FROM NOW ON, I DO THINGS MY WAY!" The ghostly images in the sky shattered and Cell's face widened in shock.

Gohan clasped his hands at his sides gathering incredible amounts of energy. Phips fell to the side as he felt the power in Gohan's hands completely eclipsing the creature in the sky.

Cell roared and unleashed the built up energy blast at Gohan. Gohan watched it approach and fired his own to counter. The two energies met but Gohan's power ripped through Cell's as if it weren't even there.

"AHHHHH!" Cell screamed as the energy ripped through his body causing him to decay and crumble to ashes.

The brilliant light faded and Gohan fell to his knees panting, his hair returned to its normal black. Phips ran over to Gohan and looked down at the ashes of the felled shadow warrior, "Amazing! You're a whole lot stronger than I thought you were!"

Gohan trembled slightly; he noticed his own tear drops falling onto his knuckles. He took in a deep breath to regain control of his emotions and stared at his shaking hands, "That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do…"

Phips looked confused, "Why is that?"

Gohan shook his head, "It wasn't just getting over my fear of him, but my fears of hurting others, of disappointing my friends and family… of not doing what my mom says… wow…" Gohan choked back a sniff, "I think I… yeah… I feel a lot better now…"

"The test of self has been conquered…" standing by the tattered doors was a lithe man in a robe and a shawl around his face. "You have succeeded in all three trials, you may now pass."

Gohan and Phips nodded and stood up to leave. As they walked by the guardian Gohan looked apologetically to him, "Sorry about your room here."

The guardian shrugged, "It happens…"

The two continued on through the door to yet another stair case and began to climb. "How come I was the only one that had to fight my fears on that last trial?" Gohan looked over to Phips questioningly.

"Oh that's easy! I'm not afraid of anything!" Phips smiled and kept walking.

Gohan shrugged and looked up to see the exit to this place, a large hole in the sky that the stairs ascended through. The two sped up and ran towards it eager to leave. Excitement built as they both wondered just what exactly they were going to find on the other side.

End Chapter


	5. Righteous Path

Chapter 5: Righteous Path

* * *

Gohan and Phips wasted no time as they ran up the stairs and into the dimensional rift in the sky. Their surrounding was dark with soft puffs of different colored clouds accenting the black space around the portal. A light became visible as they approached the rift, only a small vertical streak, but bright like the sun.

Gohan and Phips stopped once they reached the source of the light. It looked to be some kind of door floating in space that was slightly cracked open allowing light and a slight breeze through from the other side.

"Could this really be it…?" Phips couldn't help but ask out loud as he tentatively touched the door, "The exit to this place at last…"

"Only one way to know for sure!" Gohan put a palm against each panel and pushed out. The two were immediately engulfed by light. It took several moments for their eyes to adjust and finally see a beautiful lush landscape with trees, mountains, clear flowing water, and a vast indigo sky.

"I can't believe it… it's like a whole other world…" Phips stared in shock at the scenery, it was all so gorgeous. "You'd think we died and went to heaven!"

Gohan looked up at his halo for a moment, "Maybe we did…"

The sound of soft footsteps caught their attention and they turned to see a figure approaching them walking down a stone path. Once he was close Gohan was able to make out that this man was only slightly taller than he was, had blue skin, and was wearing a long decorative robe laced in gold topped by a hat with two points that tapered back reminding Gohan of floppy bunny ears.

The figure came within several feet of the two of them before stopping, "Greetings!" It spoke cheerily.

"Hello," Gohan replied bowing courteously to the well decorated figure while looking down at Phips hoping he might know more about what was going on. The look on the imp's face though told him he didn't.

"Congratulations Gohan on breaking the record in passing the trials. You have passed with remarkable results, just as I anticipated you would!" The blue skinned man grinned widely.

Gohan rubbed the back of his head and blushed slightly, "Umm… thank you…?"

The man turned to look at Phips with just the slightest hint of a frown on his face, "And Phips… I'm really not all too sure what to say about you… but don't worry we're working on it!"

Phips crossed his arms looking mildly insulted, "And just who might you be? A holy critic?"

The man laughed, "Just as satirical as ever I see! And no, I am the Sovereign Kai, keeper of reality."

Phips eyes widened into saucers, "Wait… you mean you're the… the BIG boss then?" The Kai smiled and nodded. Phips gulped down hard and vanished into thin air appearing immediately the Sovereign Kai's side, "Master! Would you like your clogs shined? Or perhaps a neck massage? How about a nice warm cup of coffee?" Phips moved from shining the Kai's shoes, to rubbing his back, to offering him a cup of coffee seamlessly fast, and all without breaking his speech.

"No… it's… it's alright Phips…" he pushed the offered cup away gently, "Thank you though. Right now we have business to discuss." The Kai redirected his gaze to Gohan.

Gohan was getting nervous as the Sovereign Kai came closer to him and started circling around him. After coming around him for a third time he stared directly into Gohan's eyes, "Splendid! Just what I was expecting!"

"I'm sorry?" Gohan couldn't help but feel lost, he had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"Yes, I suppose first you're wondering why you're here aren't you?" Gohan nodded nervously, rousing another chuckle from the Kai, "I was watching your battle on earth while you were fighting that monster Cell. You may not have been aware of it, but the amount of power you were exuding was detectable even all the way out here."

"No, I had no idea…" Gohan had to admit to himself he hadn't even thought about it before. "I've definitely never sensed anything outside my own dimension… so I never knew it was even possible."

The Kai chuckled in response, "Well this dimension was designed to allow me to see the happenings of other realms, not vice-versa; very similar to the lookout of earth for reference sake. And you definitely caught my attention. When I saw you were willing to sacrifice your own life to save your loved ones… I knew you were the right type for the job, so I intervened."

"Intervened?" Gohan cocked his head to the side looking confused now.

"Indeed, when you died I had your body and spirit moved from your universe into a realm that exists between dimensions rather than have you transcended to Other World. This way you were able to face the trials and prove that you were the type of person I thought you were. You even managed to pick up Phips along the way."

The confused look on Gohan's face remained unchanged, "I'm sorry, but I still don't understand why you did that and had me come here."

"Yes well, let me explain exactly who I am and perhaps you'll understand. First you should know of the Kai structure. You see every galaxy of every universe has its own guardian Kai who does their best to oversee peace and longevity to his or her galaxy. A Grand Kai is seated above a galactic Kai and has authority over a cluster of space. Further still is a Supreme Kai who hails dominion over the entirety of a universe. And finally at my position, I watch over all of reality, the infiniteness of time and space."

Gohan whistled in admiration "Wow… that sounds impressive."

"The primary task I must oversee is that different dimensions do not negatively impact one another. As you can imagine it is quite profitable for individuals from alternate universes to trade amongst each other if they have developed the means to break past the dimensional barrier. This is both dangerous for universal stability and almost always ends in many deaths and wrong doings that would never have happened otherwise. Criminals who have breeched dimensional walls have an infinite amount of space to hide in."

"That's crazy…" Gohan gasped imagining the kind of harm Cell or Frieza could have done with influence from other dimensions.

"Indeed, and as you can imagine, it is an incredible task keeping up with. This is why I wish to recruit you, Gohan, to join an elite team of guardians who protect reality by halting the evils who are not simply contained within a single universe. I see you as having the potential to be one of the greatest assets our team has ever known. If you were to train here and learn the skills of which I have to teach you… well quite honestly even I am unaware of how high the true limits of your power could be. Never have I beheld someone's power explode in such an exponential manner. It makes me curious if I were to train you myself if that pattern would continue. If you were to learn the different arts the Megaverse just how much greater will your power become?"

Gohan stood silent and in shock. He found himself waging a new kind of battle with himself. On one hand he didn't feel he was ready to be dead yet… But this kind of opportunity was the chance of a lifetime. More than that… It was the chance of an infinity!

"Gohan… it is within my power to send you to the Otherworld of your dimension if you so desire, but I ask you please… accept my offer," Gohan kept thinking for a few more moments. He had friends and family back home who would no doubt be trying to wish him back, and taking up the Sovereign Kai on his offer would mean not seeing them for possibly a very long time…

The choice was not a simple one and it appeared the Kai was hopefully for a rapid response. Gohan rubbed his temple and turned for a moment. His mind was reeling through the possibilities and trying to sort out his own emotions.

Gohan's eyes widened as he remembered the resolve he decided upon during the last of the trials. The feeling of wonderful release and freedom to not be afraid to disappoint as long as he knew what he was doing was good. Then he felt as though his blood was boiling over and excitement over took him. His saiyan side wanted this… wanted it more than anything right now. This was his chance, a chance to break free and become his own person. A chance to make differences he could be proud of. "I'll do it…" Gohan whispered quietly at first. He looked directly at the Kai and a large smile formed across his face, "I'll do it!"

"Excellent! Thank you Gohan! I have been making preparations for your training sessions to begin as soon as possible. We will be ready to begin soon actual…" The Kai was interrupted by a loud echoing rumble. The Kai was caught off guard by the loud noise and started looking around in a panic, "What in blazes was that?"

Gohan chuckled and shifted his weight from side to side, "Umm… I'm sorry Mister Kai… but… could we eat first before we get started? I haven't had anything to eat since before I fought Cell, and I'm getting hungry!"

The Kai's eyes widened in realization that the monstrous noise was in actuality Gohan's stomach growling, "Ah… yes… of course. Follow me this way to the main house."

Only minutes later, the Sovereign Kai and Phips could only stand back and watch in bewilderment as mounds upon mounds of food were vanishing from the table and the stacks of dishes were growing tall enough to touch the ceiling.

"My… word…" The Sovereign Kai spoke, eyes never blinking, as he could hardly comprehend the phenomena taking place before him.

"I hope your guardian of infinity status gets you discounts from the grocers!" Phips laughed hardily as Gohan neared the end of the available food.

Pushing the last empty bowl aside, Gohan released a deep sigh and a content look crossed his face, "Ahh, great, now I feel better!"

"Are you umm… full…? Gohan?" The Sovereign Kai dared to ask.

Gohan patted his belly which was slightly larger than it was moments prior, "Oh yeah!"

The Kai stared blankly at Gohan's slightly bloated state, "Oh, excellent! Then when will you be ready to begin your training?"

"Now is good, I'm ready for anything!" Gohan jumped up from his seat and started stretching.

The Kai looked mildly shocked that he could still move after such a meal, "Oh… very well then." The Kai still seemed to be trying to get over a mild shock, "If you'll follow me, before we can do anything I need to know exactly what the current extent of your abilities might be." Gohan and Phips started following the Kai out from the dining hall. "Oh, Phips, would you do me a favor and take care of the dishes? Thanks!" Phips stopped in his tracks and turned around to stare wide eyed at the huge pile of china.

Once the Sovereign Kai and Gohan were clear of the room, Phips rubbed his hands together slyly. "Taking care of the dishes doesn't exactly mean washing them, right?" he giggled to himself as he snapped his fingers and a rift in space formed underneath them. The dishes all fell into the rift bound for another dimension. Phips closed the rift and wiped his hands. He ran off after the other two eager to see the training that was in store for his friend Gohan.

The Kai escorted Gohan out to a wide open area where there was nothing to get in the way of his training. "Alright Gohan, before we can begin, I need to know what your current maximum power is. Once I know that I'll have a better idea of what techniques you're currently capable of learning. So can you go ahead and power up now?"

Gohan nodded, "OK no problem!" Since he was on the ground, Gohan knew he should take it easy otherwise powering up would make a big crater out here on the lawn. He closed his eyes taking in a deep breath and slowly began to bring forth his power.

The Kai's eyes widened as he felt Gohan dip into an unfathomable well of energy. Gohan began to glow and energy swirled around his body. His aura flashed brightly as he transformed into his first stage of Super Saiyan. The golden fire that surrounded him licked wildly in every direction. Gohan gave off a low growl as he pulled from deeper within and bolts of static began forming around his body. His hair gave off a radiant light and spiked up higher and wilder and Gohan's second stage transformation completed. The light that shone off Gohan's body intensified and made the stars orbiting the planet look dim.

Even though Gohan was powering up slowly, his gathering of energy was still enough to make the ground tremble and uproot trees in the distance. Gohan only had a little bit further to go now until he was at his maximum. Once there he tapered off his aura calming the swirling energies and letting the surroundings return to normal.

The Sovereign Kai had to use his hand to shut his own jaw. From this proximity he could sense Gohan's power much clearer than he could from the other side of the universe. "Remarkable, more than even I was expecting… I have guardians who have trained for thousands of years to attain that kind of power… And yet at such a young age… Gohan, you are amazing…"

Gohan blushed a little and powered down from his transformed state, "Thanks…"

"No need to be modest!" The Sovereign Kai laughed, "This is absolutely stupendous, this means there's no telling exactly how strong you're capable of becoming… or how quickly you could achieve it…" The Kai stopped to think for a moment, "With that kind of power… There are very few techniques you couldn't learn… so where to begin? Oh! First of all it would probably benefit me to know how it was you were able to prepare yourself for such power back on earth."

Gohan nodded and thought about it for a moment. He had spent a year training in the hyperbolic time chamber with his father. Thinking about how his father trained him gave him a few ideas on how to push toward the next level. "My transformations require a lot of stamina to maintain… so what I did was hold my first level transformation for weeks on end so the power strain became normal for my body to handle. I think I can do the same now with my new transformation and get stronger from that too."

The Kai nodded in understanding, "Very good, in that case we will begin with more basic techniques until you are more comfortable in your higher level form."

"Actually…" Gohan gulped hoping a request wouldn't seem out of line, "There were a few techniques that my father learned while he was away training that I was never taught… Would it be possible for you to teach me those techniques first? It would really mean a lot me."

The Kai smiled at Gohan, "Aspiring to the seat of the father, very well, describe to me those techniques, and we will begin."

"Thank you!" Gohan and the Sovereign Kai got to work immediately. The Kai was very knowledgeable on any technique Gohan asked of, and Gohan took on quickly to everything the Sovereign Kai had to teach.

Time passed and Gohan remained powered up in his second level transformation. In rapid succession Gohan teleported himself across millions of miles of space and back; he stood atop the highest mountain on the Sovereign planet and gathered living spirit energy high above his head; his power shone a fiery red as he boosted his own power several times over. The Kai taught him completely new techniques as well such as manipulating his energy to form solid shapes such as weapons through sheer concentration.

Time continued fleeting past seeming as nothing and Gohan became more and more comfortable with his second stage transformation. The Sovereign Kai was astonished as his power truly was rising throughout the process. Some of Gohan's training even involved blasting himself with curving energy waves. It was doing wonders for his defensive stamina; however his purple gi was not fairing as good as he was.

"Gohan, break time!" The Kai called.

Gohan vanished from up in the sky and appeared directly at the Sovereign Kai's side, "Time for lunch?" he asked excitedly.

The Kai laughed, "Indeed in a moment. However, first I felt it's probably about time to change you into some decent clothing."

Gohan looked down at how his gi was barely hanging on by strings now, "I suppose so… looks like some moths had a field day with this set."

"Quite, and since you are officially my student, I hoped you to don the uniform of the Sovereign Guards," Gohan's eyes widened, he hadn't thought he was ready for that title yet, but the Kai only smiled at him. Gohan was definitely a student the Kai was proud to call his now.

"It would be an honor!" Gohan bowed.

"Very well! Then let me adjust to your size and…" The Kai snapped his fingers and Gohan's clothes began to glow brightly. In place of the tattered garments now rested a full and proper attire. On top was a deep royal blue coat as light a gi shirt. The sleeves reached just past his elbows and the collar stood an inch straight up around his neck. The buttons of the jacket closed over his heart on the left side of the front and was laced in a gold color with black buttons. The shirt underneath was also black and he could tell had no sleeves. The pants felt very traditional to the gi style he was used to and were colored blue to match the coat with black and gold stripes across each knee to further accent the uniform. The two articles were bound at the waist by a thick black belt. The pants disappeared into the top of Black boots with similar gold trim.

Gohan floated around in circles, "This is awesome! It fits great and is easy to move in!"

The Sovereign Kai smiled admiring the newest addition to his forces, "Excellent, then lunch should be ready if you want to break from your training."

"Oh yeah!" Gohan teleported away in a flash again and appeared at the table where Phips had barely finished placing out the food.

"Oh good grief!" Phips jumped with a start as Gohan was already digging in. "One of these days you're going to clog your heart and die!"

The Sovereign Kai watched from the doorway and chuckled. Gohan's power had actually risen so much in the time Gohan had spent here that he was tempted to try something different. He knew it was only a matter of time before he would have Gohan attempt a feat that none other had ever been able to accomplish before…

A wave of excitement washed over the Kai as memories of his other guardians who had attempted and failed at his task were quite fresh in his mind. The Sovereign Kai had faith however that Gohan was the right person for the task. He would know for sure very soon…

* * *

End Chapter


	6. Engraved Legend

Chapter 6: Engraved Legend

* * *

Gohan's training had continued at an invigorating intensity. Now being fully accustomed to his second transformation Gohan was able to draw forth all the power he could from his transformation without encumbering his stamina. The result allowed him to push his energy levels much higher raising his strength and speed at a phenomenal rate.

Using extreme speed, Gohan blinked across the sky fast enough to spar with himself. He would fire off great blasts of energy only to appear in front of them and counter them back with his growing ki. To Phips, who was left gazing from the surface, there appeared to be hundreds of Gohans in the sky all at war with each other.

The Kai slowly approached the training area and stared up at the powerful young demi-saiyan. "It's time…" He whispered to himself, but Phips sensitive hearing caught the words.

Phips jumped up in sudden horror, "TIME ALREADY? I haven't placed the grocer order yet and I think the fridge is empty!"

The Sovereign Kai laughed, "No, not time for food, but now that you mention it you might want to restock the kitchen soon." The Kai walked out into the field, "Gohan! Please come down for a moment!" The fireworks in the sky immediately ceased and Gohan appeared in an instant at the Kai's side.

"Yes sir?" Gohan questioned politely as he reverted to his normal form.

"You are doing very well Gohan, but I believe it is time we progressed you beyond this level," The Kai folded his arms into his wide sleeves as he smiled at the boy.

Gohan's eyes widened understanding the Kai must have some kind of specific training in mind, "What is it you want me to try?"

"It is time we tried something new!" The Kai responded energetically.

Gohan and Phips both stared curiously at the Kai, "New? What do you mean by new?" Phips asked.

"I mean something that has never been accomplished before," The Kai continued to smile confidently at his youngest pupil.

Gohan returned the gesture and nodded, "Sure, let's go for it!"

"Follow me then," The Kai led the pair on a trek across the planet. Hidden within a forested valley behind a waterfall was a temple of pure crystal, "Inside."

The temple was exquisitely beautiful, apparently carved with the utmost care and attention to detail. Grand statues lined the hall, and fountains poured water into small crystal streams. Every piece appeared to be seamless with one another, as if the entire temple and everything in it was carved from a single enormous crystal.

A few rooms deeper into the temple the three came across a grand crystal pedestal with only the hilt of a sword protruding from the center. "Every universe carries a legend… a legend of a great mythical sword of unheard of power capable of changing the fates of millions. In some universes they call such weapons Excalibur, in others Ragnarok, in others still Masamune, and even the Master Sword. From the dimension you call home it is called the Z Sword and still there many other names for this legendary weapon. All of those fantastic blades are but replicas of this…" The Kai extended his hand toward the sword in the chamber. "It is said that this weapon has the ability to slice through time and space, if only the wielder was true and strong enough to master it. Though it truly has no name, I call it Realis, the weapon of reality."

"Wow…" Gohan stepped over to the sword's pedestal and looked at the sword in awe. It was beautiful with an intricately detailed hilt and the portion of the blade visible above the pedestal reflected three different colors off the surface, silver, blue, and violet, all at the same time.

"I want you to try removing the sword from its resting place Gohan," Gohan nodded realizing what he was supposed to do. "Be warned, none of the other Sovereign Guardians have ever come close to budging the mighty weapon. It is thought that its density is so great that it has weight of at least one ton per ounce. For a weapon of that size, its total weight must amount to hundreds of tons."

Gohan nodded, "So… this is not going to be easy…"

The Sovereign Kai nodded in confirmation, "Not easy would be an understatement! Only Lao, the leader of my most elite sovereign guards, has ever managed to make the sword even creak in place. But I believe now that if anyone has the ability to remove the sword from its pedestal that it's you Gohan." The Kai crossed his fingers. Though Gohan lacked the experience and strategic sense of many of the other guardians the Kai felt his incredible strength and energy might just be enough to offset the odds and allow him to finally dislodge the relic weapon.

Gohan gulped not wanting to let the Kai down, "OK let me get a feel for it first then…" Gohan stood on top of the pedestal and gripped onto the hilt with both hands. He hadn't started pulling yet; he just opened and closed his fists around the grip for a moment.

Gohan stretched and prepared himself for the task. Taking a deep breath, Gohan squatted and gave the sword a strong tug. Gohan grunted with effort, but certainly the sword would not budge at all. Gohan let go and took a step back, "OK… here we go…"

The Sovereign Kai and Phips took shelter towards the back of the room understanding that Gohan was about to get serious. Gohan started powering up, his hair flashed a brilliant gold and spiked straight up. He powered up all the way to maximum and gripped the sword once again. Gohan planted his feet firmly on the crystal floor; his golden aura flared reflecting off of all the crystal walls. Gohan yelled as he started pulling on the sword as hard as he could.

For the first few seconds there was nothing, and the Kai began thinking he had expected too much too soon. Then the ground began to shake. Gohan's yell deepened as he reached deep within himself for even more energy. Red began to swirl amongst gold as he attempted to boost his power as high as he could. His feet cracked through the crystal ground at the pedestal and caused large cracks to snake across the floors and up the walls.

The entire temple was shaking violently, "My goodness, this has never happened before…" The Kai grabbed on to a pillar to stabilize himself, but that too crumbled from the force Gohan was expelling.

The Kai watched intently when a shockwave of air resonating from a vibration around the pedestal made him swear he saw the sword budge just a bit. "Do it…"

Gohan's ki flared wildly, his yell became deafening, his muscles strained further, and he heaved with everything he had. The pedestal shattered and he skyrocketed upward with such force that he punched through the crystal ceiling of the temple, causing much of it to collapse.

Pieces of the temple began to fall all around the spectators, "Good heavens!" The Kai called out once the trembling ceased. He looked to the shattered podium and saw there was no longer a sword mounted in its grasp. The Sovereign Kai flew through the hole in the ceiling and saw Gohan floating above the temple, the sword still firmly in his grasp. "He did it… Gohan removed the sword that up until today was impossible to even budge…"

Phips floated up to the Kai, "Yeah… and he destroyed the entire temple in the process…" The Kai laughed at such a trivial thing and watched as Gohan was slowly floating down to the surface.

The Kai hadn't been kidding about how heavy this sword was. It was taking nearly all of Gohan's concentration just to stay floating in the sky with this thing. The sword was huge also, at least as long as he was tall. He looked it over and tried to figure out what kind of sword it was. It had a curve to it, but not enough to be considered a katana, but it definitely wasn't a long sword. It was just ridiculous gauging an extra dimensional weapon so he gave up trying to place it and returned his focus on trying not to plummet to the ground with it.

Once he landed, Gohan still had to exert quite a bit of effort to make sure the sword didn't burry itself in the ground, "How is it Gohan?" Phips asked once he was close enough.

Gohan's face contorted under the strain, "It's really heavy… grrr…"

The Kai approached and had his hands up his sleeves obviously thinking, "You should train with it Gohan. Imagine the benefits of mastering such a weapon!"

"Yeah I bet! I'm going to have to take it a little slow with this thing though… I mean… just lifting it out of the temple today completely drained me…" Gohan's breathing was getting labored and his arms were starting to tremble. It didn't look as if he could hold the sword for much longer.

"Allow me to create a slab you will be able to rest the sword upon easier then!" The Kai waved his hand materializing a large metal sheet capable of sustaining the weight of the weapon. Gohan let the sword fall on the sheet with a loud clang. The ground shook as the sword was dropped.

Gohan fell backward, his super saiyan state leaving him, "Oh man! That thing is just… unbelievable! I've never seen anything that size that was so heavy before!" Gohan breathed heavily as he stretched to try and recover from the exertion. The Kai patted him comfortingly on the shoulder and helped him back to his feet. The three began their walk back to the manor to rest for the night. Gohan actually had a hard time resting as his body ached from the incredible strain needed to move such a massive weapon. As Gohan lied down staring at the stars a smile crept along his face. He was determined now to use that sword. The prospect of how strong he could become while mastering it only excited him further.

Once rested, Gohan immediately returned to the slab where he had left the sword. Remembering the day prior, Gohan took a few deep breaths before clenching his fists and powering up. Feeling ready, Gohan kneeled down and tried lifting the sword. Once again it took considerable effort just to hold the massive weapon. Gohan clenched his teeth tight as he lifted up into the sky still holding the mighty blade. Even at full power Gohan was struggling with the weapon but his determination and desire kept him pushing himself not to give in.

Holding in his breath Gohan lifted the sword at his side and swung wide. The sword sliced gracefully through the air reaching the arch point Gohan would have wanted the sword to stop at but the massive momentum caused it to kept going. Gohan's hands refused to let go of the weapon and Gohan found himself being dragged through the air by the weapon's mass. Gohan panicked and flared his ki in an attempt to gather enough power to stop the weapon's momentum. Gohan's eyes widened as he saw the Realis was going to drag him through a cliff face before he could do anything to stop. The sword completely broke out of the other side of the mountain leaving Gohan embedded somewhere in the rock.

Gohan managed to tunnel his way out in time to see the sword fly off into a patch of foliage and impact the ground with enough force to quake the entire planet, "Whoops…" Gohan muttered as he took off to try and retrieve the weapon, no doubtedly buried once again.

These antics continued for days as Gohan would swing the sword upwards and fall completely backward from the force of the moving object. Gohan seemed to only be spending a short time of each day actually training with the sword and the rest of the day trying to dig it out of wherever he dropped it. Gohan was retiring to his room one night completely frustrated with himself for not being able to find the balance to wield the weapon properly.

Gohan felt like a sword shouldn't be giving him this much trouble. He scratched his head wondering why he would be thinking such a thing as he actually hadn't used a sword since he was five and even then he was never formally trained in its use. Gohan's eyes snapped open as he remembered training for over a year with swords. He rubbed his eyes harshly thinking that year didn't actually happen, it was only a weird dream like trial… But if it could help him even a little… Gohan went to sleep that night trying to focus his thoughts and dreams on the experience.

The next morning, the sun had yet to light up for day, yet Gohan stood before the great legendary weapon. Ideas were running mad through his mind, remembering proper techniques of balancing the weapon, how to hold it, proper postures. He only hoped what he thought he knew held true. His golden aura flashed violently around him as he powered up to his second transformation. He reached down and began lifting the weapon. Once in his grasp Gohan assumed a lowered posture with the sword slightly extended most of the weight shifting from his shoulders to his torso. Gohan looked down at the weapon and prepared himself.

Gohan swung the weapon out making an appropriate slice through the air and stopping the sword promptly where it should have. "Ha!" Gohan smiled happily at the weapon for listening to him for once. Trying again, he swung the other way finding it working much the same way.

The sword was still incredibly heavy, however with the appropriate grip and balance Gohan found himself able to at least keep the weapon under his control. Gohan continued practicing until the sun began to light up in the sky.

Gohan grinned slyly realizing the Kai and Phips would be waking up soon. Gohan put the sword down as quietly as he could and returned to the manor to get ready for breakfast. He looked back to the sword as he walked off, "We'll have plenty of time today, trust me!"

Phips was busy washing the dishes from breakfast. He'd already gotten scolded for banishing several sets of dinner wear to other dimensions. He hurried through the chore, still grumbling enough to make as big of a scene as he could to no one. Once he was done he hurried out to go watch Gohan's continued training.

He found the Sovereign Kai sitting on a large boulder with a bewildered look on his face, "Hey boss, what's got you looking like a ghost?"

The Kai looked over to Phips acknowledging him momentarily before looking up into the sky.

"Huh?" Phips looked up at where the Kai was gazing and gasped. Gohan swung the sword curving its path down to his left then making a fast upward strike. Quick strikes followed from side to side, downward thrusts, and upward slices. He spun it around his wrist, aimed at the ground below, and dove in for a devastating strike resulting in an explosion of dirt and rock to be spewed in every direction.

Phips ran over to Gohan, "Wow, that's amazing! Where did you learn to use a sword like that?"

Gohan laughed, "Would you believe I remembered it from the first trial we went through back when we first met?"

"The first trial…" The Kai whispered. "That should have remained little more than a dream in your mind… It's astonishing to think you retained such skill from a fleeting vision… and even if you retained how to use a sword… that still doesn't account for you being able to lift the weapon so much easier!"

Gohan laughed bashfully, "Well you see, what I was struggling to remember were techniques that I could use to keep the sword more under control. Trust me, this thing is still monstrously heavy!" Gohan grunted allowing the weapon to rest on the plate the Kai made for it, "But once you're holding it properly it becomes much easier to use the sword's mass and momentum to your advantage rather than let it veer off on its own!"

"Amazing," The Kai and Phips watched as Gohan jumped back up into the air to continue training with the sword. His training continued on each session lasting longer than the last. Soon it wasn't just his strength and stamina rising, but he began moving much faster with the weapon as well.

"If this keeps up, you're going to run out of ways to train him sir!" Phips chuckled.

The Kai nodded and chuckled to himself imagining the reaction of the other guards once they see the boy with the Realis, "No doubt… I believe it's time for him to experience some field work…"

More time passed and Gohan continued to work on mastering the weapon's weight. His training resumed with renewed vigor as his determination surmounted new obstacles and his perseverance allowed him to absorb any technique the sovereignty offered him.

* * *

End Chapter


	7. Smoke and Mirrors

Chapter 7: Smoke and Mirrors

* * *

Gohan proved himself time after time, overcoming any challenge that dared lie before him. Caught up in the constant rush of training and battle Gohan hardly noticed that time on earth was steadily ticking by…

Seven years later…

A large flat panel TV was glowing brightly in an otherwise dark bedroom inside the Capsule Corporation home. A loud and obnoxious commercial stirred the sleeping couple from their rest, "Calling out to all fighters across the Earth! World MARTIAL ARTS Tournament 6! 6! 6! Do you have what it takes to take down the champ? Mister Satan awaits all the fools who dare to take on the man who saved the world! Tournament 6 marks the opening of the new arena! Seating capacity limited to five million! Reserve your tickets today! Call 1-800-GET-TICKET or buy online at ticketgurus dot buz!" Mister Satan appeared on the screen and gave his famous yell with both hands in the air showing his sign of victory, "YEAHHHHH! NO ONE BEATS ME! NOT THE CHAMP WHO SAVED THE WORLD!"

The TV turned off, and Vegeta put the remote control back on the night stand.

"You're doing better; you don't blast it away anymore!" Bulma laughed.

"Last time I did that I had to cook for myself for a week…" Vegeta grumbled.

"And to think they told me you can't teach a saiyan new tricks," Vegeta grunted and rolled over. "You know I was thinking though…"

"About?" Vegeta was afraid to ask, but new she would bug him until he did.

"About this next tournament, I was thinking maybe you should enter and teach that bastard Mister Satan a lesson for taking all the credit for something poor Gohan died for…" Bulma sniffed as she snuggled closer to Vegeta.

"What's the point? It hardly seems worth the effort to swat at flies like him." Vegeta sounded pretty stern on the issue.

"The point is he's making a lot of money for something he didn't do… I know! What if I can convince Goku to go? Would you agree then?" Bulma squeezed Vegeta's shoulder to indicate she was pleading.

Vegeta sighed in the darkness, "Alright, if Kakarot entered the tournament it would at least be interesting... Are you sure you can get him to agree to it?"

Bulma chuckled to herself knowing she had him on the hook now, "Trust me, I know exactly how to get him to enter."

The next morning, Bulma flew Vegeta and little Trunks over to the Son house to pay them a surprise visit. Chichi was outside hanging clothes on the line to dry when she heard an aircar approaching. Coming around to the front as it landed, she placed her hands on her hips and smiled at her friend.

"Long time no see stranger!" Chichi laughed as she walked up to the disembarking family to give Bulma and Trunks a hug. Vegeta wasn't a touchy person, but he and Chichi still shook hands in greeting.

"Yeah it has! How are you? You're looking good!" Bulma complimented. Chichi was actually starting to look youthful again. After losing Gohan she had slumped into a depression and had a difficult pregnancy with Goten. She had stopped taking care of her appearance and had her hair pulled back like an old woman. But little by little, and especially after having to take care of the energetic tyke Goten was, she began to live again. Now she was wearing makeup and had bangs waving across her forehead.

"Oh thanks Bulma! And you? You look great as always! I'd invite you all to come inside, but Goku and Goten are out practicing for the tournament, so I'm sure Trunks and his dad would much rather go bug them for a while," Chichi grinned at the pair.

Bulma's eyes widened, "Goku is going to be in the tournament?"

Chichi nodded, "Yes… partly my doing… when we saw the commercial for the tournament the other day I started getting upset and so I told Goku I'd make him all the tyrannotail steak he could eat if knocked that loser Satan off his high horse! And well… you know Goku…"

Bulma laughed, "Yes… I do…"

Chichi nodded to the Briefs, "I think he was actually planning on visiting you guys to find out if Vegeta and Trunks wanted to go compete in the tournament with him and Goten."

"I don't think they'll pass up on that offer, right boys?" Bulma laughed and Vegeta remained courteously silent with his arms crossed across his chest, "Why don't the two of you go find Goku and Goten so Chichi and I can chat some more?"

"Alright, come on Trunks, he's this way," Vegeta had long since pinpointed Goku's location and led Trunks away the moment he was able. They walked slowly a good distance before flying off in the proper direction as to not seem disrespectful to the ladies.

Over a few hills and a bit up the mountain was a clearing where Goku and Goten were sparring. Goku was dodging as Goten was trying to hit him. It looked more like playing than sparring to Vegeta.

Goku noticed Vegeta and Trunks land and stopped to wave at them. Goten hadn't noticed and delivered a solid blow to Goku's jaw, "OOF!" Goku fell back a few steps and adjusted his head, "OUCH! My tooth is loose!"

Goten immediately started apologizing, "I'm sorry daddy, I'm real sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! Honest!"

Vegeta couldn't help but snicker. "Tsk, the great Kakarot getting beat up by his seven year old son! The universe as we know it is doomed!" he remarked sarcastically.

"Hey!" Goku took a stand for his son… or himself, Vegeta wasn't sure, "He's pretty strong!" Goku was still rubbing his jaw.

Vegeta and Trunks approached the two, "Anyway Kakarot, the reason for our visit today is to speak with you about this World Martial Arts Tournament that you are to be participating in."

"So you've heard about it!" Goku chuckled.

"Yes I have," Vegeta's smirk grew wide, "so don't think you can enter any kind of fighting competition without having to face me!"

Goku's laugh deepened, "Trust me Vegeta, it wouldn't feel as if I won anything worthwhile if I won without fighting you!"

Vegeta's grin deepened, "Good! So you better be at your best for this, otherwise I'll be claiming your all you can eat tyrannotail steak dinner!"

Goku's mouth dropped, "NO WAY! That's it, there's no way I'm going to lose now!"

Vegeta only laughed harder. "We'll see…" Vegeta noticed Goten and Trunks were beginning to look bored listening to them banter, "We should probably let the brats go play while we discuss the details."

Goku nodded, "You heard him boys, go have fun!"

"Kay!" Goten and Trunks shouted and quickly ran off into the woods probably to spar with each other.

Goku smiled as he watched them go then turned back to Vegeta, "Well then, we have two weeks…"

Over the last seven years on earth, the World Martial Arts Tournament had become the most celebrated sport on the planet with more viewers than the Super Bowl, World Series, and FIFA World Cup combined. On the day of the tournament, nearly every eye on earth was glued to the scene to see the people's hero, Mister Satan, as he proved his might once again.

Once news spread that Goku and Vegeta would be participating in the tournament, other Z Fighters decided it would be fun to enter as well. Piccolo, Yamcha, Krillin, and Eighteen came ready to compete while many of the others came to support their friends.

Bulma flew the airship full of them and circled the island where the tournament was being held. "Would you take a look at this?" Bulma whistled as she tilted the ship so everyone could get a better look, "They built a brand new arena on this island to be able to host more people and it's still absolutely packed!" Bulma had to abruptly pull up on the stick as a skycar looking for a place to park didn't notice the Capsule Vessel and nearly bumped it, "THAT IDIOT! It's a good thing contestants have a private parking lot or I don't think we'd be able to park this thing here." Bulma flew in on final approach to land behind the stadium.

Once off the ship the group of Z-Fighters approached the registration desk. Goten and Trunks were the first to run up excitedly to the counter, "We're gonna be in the tournament!" they shouted at the registrar.

The elderly registrar signed the slip of another young boy in sun glasses by the counter when he turned to the two half saiyan children, "Of course you are! We hope you're ready! What are your names so we can get you on the junior roster?"

"Junior roster? I don't think so sir, we're going to fight with the adults!" Trunks exclaimed.

The man shook his head, "Oh absolutely not, that kind of thing has not been allowed since the tournament reformed, children like yourselves could be badly hurt in the adult competition!"

Bulma and Chichi caught up to the boys and nodded, "Yeah that makes a lot of sense, it sounds like a really good idea to me to separate them by age group finally."

"Awww, but that's going to be boring…" Goten whimpered.

Once registration was completed Goten and Trunks were herded off still looking very disheartened with the other children to prepare for the junior league which would be opening first. The rest of the Z Fighters found seats up in the stands to watch the competition from.

"According to the program, most of today's event should be covering the junior league," Yamcha read out loud. "Unlike the adult competition, every child who registers is allowed to compete, there is no qualifying."

"Yup, that's going to make this a long morning…" Krillin yawned.

The time finally arrived for Trunks' first match! His friends and family cheered as he stepped onto the arena opposite a much larger almost obese looking boy. The round started and the other boy immediately charged at Trunks running from across the arena as fast as his stubby legs could carry him and making deep grunts with each step. Trunks didn't even move as the boy leapt into the air and attempted to tackle him. Trunks ducked under the boy a punched him in the stomach. The blow sent the boy rolling across the ring only to fall off the side and expel anything he'd eaten that day.

Bulma watched from the stands with wide eyes praying the boy would be ok as the paramedics wheeled the boy off. "Please be more careful with the kids honey!" she yelled from her seat.

From the first match Trunks appeared in, it became obvious the entire event was going to be unbelievably boring until Goten and Trunks faced each other. Both boys ended their matches in a single blow unless they got bored and started toying with their opponent.

As the youth division progressed several of the older children favored to win turned out to be nothing more than skilled bullies. Trunks was the first to be matched up against a fourteen year old loud mouth, "Are you ready to sent home crying to your mommy pipsqueak? You're nothing but a baby who just entered the lion's den!"

Trunks found the boy a little amusing and decided to have a little more fun with him. The round began and Trunks raised his power just slightly higher. As the older boy threw a punch at Trunks he would miss only to find Trunks standing just to the side of where he had been. To human eyes the movement was seamless, there was no vanishing or reappearing, the spectators would have had to have been paying very close attention to even be able to notice that Trunks moved at all. It looked as if the older boy's punches were just missing.

"You little runt! I swear I'm gonna kick your ass!" The boy shouted out of frustration.

Trunks smiled, his hand appearing in front of the boy's face. With a flick of the finger Trunks tapped the boy's nose causing the boy to fall backwards clutching his face in pain. His nose was bleeding badly as he got back up on his feet and stared at Trunks scornfully.

"Cheap shot! You are so dead you little brat!" The boy charged again, his arm outstretched in a full force punch however Trunks easily grabbed the extended fist. In a fast motion, Trunks slid under the boy with the arm still in his grasp and racked him on his own arm. The boy's eyes went wide and an ear piercing squeal escaped his throat. The entire audience all gave a synchronized "Oww!" as they saw the position the boy ended up in.

Tears were streaking the bully's face from both pain and humiliation. He slowly climbed to his feet again only to see Trunks standing directly over him. He fell backwards in panic and pushed away, "Who's going to go crying to his mommy?" Trunks asked sarcastically.

Trunks made a slight lunge forward, barely enough to notice movement, but enough to feel the vibration in the air from the force of it. The sensation was enough to cause the bully to snap and he crawled away from the young demi-saiyan as fast as he could screaming, "I give up! I give!"

These scenes continued as Trunks seemed to have too much fun with the bullies that pitted against him and made sure to humiliate them in front of their parents.

Goten was much nicer to his opponents. Being the more naïve of the two saiyan boys, Goten appeared to not even comprehend the taunts and insults the older opponents would say to him.

"Hey toddler pants, I hope your mom brought you some extra diapers!" one boy in particular yelled to him from across the arena.

Goten looked confused and imagined how weird someone would look wearing thick diapers underneath their pants and it just made him laugh.

The boy ran up and started punching at Goten, but all he ever hit was Goten's defending arms. Goten sighed realizing that even the older boys weren't going to be fun for him, so with a quick jab to the jaw he knocked the boy out and quickly ended the match.

Hours of these matches went by before it was finally time for the semi-finals. The Z-Fighters could hardly pay attention to the first match since the excitement of finally seeing a good fight between Goten and Trunks next held their complete interest. They all cheered as a match ended the announcer stepped up to prepare for the next fight.

"Amazing, ladies and gentlemen, what a terrific match that was! Let's have a round of applause for both contestants of the last round!" The crowd cheered as both kids had displayed incredible martial arts talent but the boy in the sunglasses stepped away from the arena victoriously, "But that brings us to the second match of the semi-finals, and I have to say I've been waiting for this! Both of these young men have displayed amazing strength, knocking out opponents twice their age in a single blow! The two of them are long time friends and one of their favorite things to do is spar against each other in the woods! Let's hear it for Son Goten, and Trunks Briefs!" The crowd roared ready to see these two go at it.

"Fighters ready?" both boys nodded to the announced, "Then begin!"

The two boys dropped into serious stances immediately, "Are you sure you're ready for this Goten? I'm not going to go easy on you today."

"I think you're the one who's in for a surprise this time Trunks!" Goten smiled

"Then all out right from the start… Let's do it!" Trunks kicked off launching a floor tile off the surface of the arena but Goten was quick to follow. Their fists met in the center of the battleground and the resounding shockwave from the blow knocked the hats off of the people in the front rows.

The two boys bounced away from each other and were quick to charge again, Trunks stole the initiative and swung hard to Goten's gut. Goten caught the punch and spun around to roundhouse Trunks's head. Trunks easily ducked out of the way, and then picked up the speed. The two started flurrying attacks so quickly that to the audience it looked as if each of them had a hundred fists flying.

The two boys began glowing with energy as they powered up while fighting. The energy charge caused them to slowly levitate into the air, once again mystifying the audience. With pulled back glowing fists, the two boys rammed them into each other's faces at the same time and knocked each other back.

The audience started talking amongst themselves, "This is crazy…", "That has to be some kind of trick!", "Is that really possible?", "How on earth are they doing that?"

The fight continued in mid air as the two collided with each other again and again delivering brutal punches and kicks. They were fairly even so far, but Goten managed to get a kick across the side of Trunks's head that made him see an opening.

"Got you now Trunks!" Goten's aura flashed a brilliant gold as he transformed into a Super Saiyan and drove Trunks downward. Trunks wasn't able to resist the movement and was tossed into the arena floor leaving a large crater on the raised surface.

Goten curved back up and watched the dust settle from the sky. He was crossing his fingers for a knock out win. Once the dust settled he could see Trunks standing in the middle of the hole staring angrily at him, "Uhoh…" he whispered to himself.

Trunks aura flashed the same gold as he transformed along with Goten, "You asked for it now!" Trunks stretched his arms out behind him; spheres of energy began to glow in his palms. Bringing his hands forward, he clapped them together and shouted as he fired a large energy beam at Goten.

Goten saw the attack coming and clenched his hands at his side to counter, "KamehameHA!" Goten fired back and the two beams met in the center creating huge focal point.

After a moment Trunks looked up at Goten, "Hey I think we might have taken this too far… If this thing blows up here… it could probably hurt some people…"

Goten nodded, "Yeah I think you're right, what should we do about it?"

Trunks thought, "Well if you cancel yours out, then mine should fly harmlessly off into the sky."

"No way! That'll make it look like I gave up!" Goten whined.

"Well if I cancel mine out then yours will come down and blow up the arena, and I don't think the adults would be too happy about that," Trunks countered.

"What if we both let them go at the same time?" Goten offered.

"That might work… OK when I say three, let your beam down! One! Two… THREE!" On his mark, Goten released his power beam, however Trunks failed to keep his end of the bargain, and actually pushed harder on the beam which flew up towards Goten.

Goten's eyes widened and he braced himself for the hit. He reached out with his hands to stop the beam and once he had sufficient control he swiped it away so it flew over the arena, arched in the sky, and crashed into the ocean where it exploded and sent giant waves of water in every direction.

"THAT WAS CHEATING!" Goten yelled.

"Sorry…" Trunks crossed his arms a little upset that move hadn't won him the fight; he knew he was going to have to think of a new strategy now since even Goten probably wasn't gullible enough to fall for the same trick twice.

Before Trunks was finished thinking, Goten made a sudden move at super speed, disappearing from Trunks's visual range and appeared again with his knee lodged in Trunks's stomach. Trunks's pupils shrank from the pain as he slid across the floor. Almost to the edge, Trunks dug his fingers into the tiles to stop his movement and jumped back up to resume the battle.

The two were matching each other blow for blow for a few more minutes, doing a good job of keeping the audience entranced. As the battle wore on though, Trunks noticed that Goten was getting a few lucky shots in. He rubbed his jaw as Goten really had landed a punch that was probably going to bruise. If he was going to win, he knew he had to finish this soon.

"Sorry Goten, but you know I'm stronger than you are, so there's really no question that I'm the one who's going to win," Trunks gloated.

"You don't know that for sure!" Goten retorted.

Trunks sighed, "Yes I do…" Trunks disappeared from sight and appeared right in front of Goten as he socked his younger friend hard in the face. The movement of the punches was almost invisible. One moment Trunks was in one position, and the next moment his fist was embedded somewhere on Goten's body with only a thunderous clash sound to serve as evidence of the actual strike.

Goten tried to resume his own attack, but Trunks caught Goten's fist and kneed him in the stomach. Trunks gripped tight onto Goten's fist and spun him around before tossing him into the air. Goten started recovering from the attack, but when he opened his eyes he had no time to prepare for the large energy ball that Trunks had thrown after him. The ball exploded and launched him further back. Goten's body started spinning and he couldn't make out which direction was up to try and stabilize his fall. By the time he got his bearings straight he realized his foot was touching the wall to the arena, "Oh no!"

"RING OUT!" The announcer shouted. "This match was unbelievable! Let's hear a HUGE round of applause for these AMAZING youngsters! Be sure and remember their names as no doubt they are destined to become legendary!"

Goten powered down and started pouting as he walked towards the exit for the defeated, "Hey Goten!" Trunks' hair changed back to purple as he ran up to him, "Hey don't feel bad Goten! I mean you really had me freaked out there! I had to go all out on you because I was really scared you were going to do something crazy and totally kick my butt! We'll go play video games at my place later to make it up to you OK?"

Goten nodded, "OK!" he cheered up quickly and ran off.

Trunks smiled as he watched his friend go and stood ready for the last match.

"And now we are pleased to bring you the Junior League Finals!" The crowd erupted in cheers again. Trunks sighed; resigning himself to the fact that after the last battle there was no way this was going to be anywhere near as exciting.

"Still in the ring from the last match is the eight year old titan Trunks Briefs who has more than proven he packs an absolutely amazing punch! I know I sure wouldn't want to take one! And stepping back up now our other finalist, eleven year old Tomuks, has overcome every opponent thrown at him with incredible style! Let's find out which of these two will be taking home the title of Junior Champion!"

Trunks watched the other boy step up to the arena, he was only a little taller than he was, and he didn't look to be dressed to fight at all. He wore loose jeans and tennis shoes, a tee shirt, a baseball cap, and had a goofy pair of sunglasses over his eyes.

Trunks stared the boy down with a look that meant business but even after watching the last match Tomuks only smiled at him. Trunks squinted his eyes in thought, "Does this idiot actually think he can beat me?" Trunks grunted feeling extremely confident, "One hit…"

"Contestants ready?" The announcer waved his arm down signaling the start of the match, "BEGIN!"

* * *

End Chapter


	8. Crossing Paths

Chapter 8: Crossing Paths

* * *

Trunks nodded to the older boy, Tomuks, who only returned the gesture. He couldn't believe that after watching the fight between he and Goten just a moment ago that this kid could still be standing there so calm. Trunks shrugged it off thinking the guy might just be stupid or something, "Hey listen, I don't want to hurt you too bad, so I'm gonna end this quick, okay?"

"If you say so," the boy smiled.

Trunks definitely didn't like that smile; it looked too eerie. He wanted to knock that smile off of him as soon as he could. Trunks boosted into super speed and flung his fist at the boy. Trunks flew across the arena watching as he approached his opponent far too quickly for any human to hope to react. Trunks's fist was within millimeters of impacting the boy's face when he felt it. The world blacked out around him and for a moment there was nothing but this overwhelming sensation… Power… It just surged from nowhere so quickly Trunks wasn't even sure what he was sensing. The high pitched crash sound reverberated through the arena as his fist made impact. Trunks looked at his fist to notice it had been caught in the boy's hand, "What?" A swift kick was delivered to Trunks stomach sending him flying up into the air.

The Z Fighters stood in their seats and gasped as they watched Trunks soar across the stadium. Trunks' eyes were wide and his pupils narrow as he was shot backwards across the arena, his arms and legs dangling uselessly in front of him. Trunks barely recovered from the unexpected attack in time to catch the edge of the arena floor.

"Did you see that?" Krillin shouted to his fellow Z Fighters, "What kind of kid could possibly do that to Trunks?"

Trunks finally regained his composure and noticed that smile was still covering the other boy's face. Trunks grit his teeth and tried to get a better feel for his opponent. He knew he had felt something incredible for the split second it took him to be knocked across the ring, but the moment the attack concluded the power behind it vanished. The only power Trunks could sense from Tomuks now was no greater than any of the other junior leaguers he'd already defeated with ease. Deciding against trusting what he was feeling, Trunks blasted himself back over to the boy attacking with renewed vigor. His punches and kicks were little more than blurs, yet somehow Tomuks was blocking and dodging every single one.

After a few more moments of defense, Tomuks made a jump over one of Trunks' lunges and drop kicked him to the ground. Trunks grunted as he hit the ground hard and Tomuks landed effortlessly behind him. Trunks pushed himself off the floor quickly and rolled to the side. Energy started to build in his hands and he pointed it at the boy, "Try this!" Trunks blasted an energy ball his opponent, but the boy simply kicked it away as if it were a beach ball.

The energy ball flew high into the sky and exploded lighting up the entire arena in a bright yellow light, "Nice one!" Tomuks chuckled.

Bulma gasped as she watched her son having difficulty, "Come on Trunks you can do it!"

Chichi shook her head, "If Trunks was able to beat my Goten then he can beat this kid easily! Just watch!"

Bulma nodded looking around the arena, "I hope the others are watching this fight… something just doesn't seem right to me…

Chichi sighed, "I wouldn't put it past them to wonder off thinking all the excitement was already over."

Master Roshi, who was seated beneath the women in the grand stands, leaned forward on his cane. The match had most definitely piqued his interest. He watched closely, the image of the boy in the sunglasses reflected off his own tinted spectacles.

Trunks grunted and clenched his fist tight. He couldn't get a grasp at all on how strong this guy was. It was like every time he attacked, Tomuks would raise his power just enough to counter him, then it would drop to nearly undetectable again.

Trunks jumped back into the fight, fists madly swinging. After another few moments of unsuccessfully landing a hit, Tomuks caught his fists and held them firmly, "No not like that, you need to think clearly when you're on the attack. If you're fighting blind then you leave plenty of room for your opponent to do something like this," Tomuks spun Trunks around by his wrists, flipped him in the air, and put his knee against Trunks back while slamming the boy down pinning him to the floor.

Trunks' eyes widened as he couldn't believe he just let that happen. Tomuks was leaning by his ear and starting to whisper to him, but Trunks flared his ki violently to throwing the older boy off of him. Trunks was on his feet in an instant but stopped cold in his boots before he could resume his attack. The strong gust Trunks' ki caused didn't affect Tomuks as he looked just as confident and ready to continue, but it knocked his cap off of his head. Instead of falling to the ground like a cap should have done, it just floated about a foot in the air above his head.

Trunks pointed up at the article, "Why the heck your hat floating like that?"

Tomuks looked up at it, his expression widening in surprise, "Oh!" He reached up and quickly pulled it back down, tightening the strap to keep it from floating up again. Once he had the cap settled he looked over at Trunks and shrugged, "It's a lucky cap… lucky caps do that sometimes." He explained it as if Trunks was some gullible four year old.

Trunks scowled, he had the feeling this kid was hiding something under that cap and now he needed to find out what. It could be something Tomuks was using to cheat…

The match resumed and Trunks's attacks became more strategic. Tomuks was still smiling though as he continued to block all of Trunks's moves. Through his attacking, Trunks was actually formulating a plan. Once he had established a pattern of attack, he broke off with a leg sweep first which Tomuks jumped over. In the same spinning motion Trunks lifted up to strike with a roundhouse kick to the face which Tomuks blocked with a raised arm. Reversing the momentum from the last attack Trunks opened his palm only inches in front of Tomuks's face and fired off an energy blast.

As expected, Tomuks ducked out of the way of Trunks's attack, and stared up at younger boy, his grin widening, "Not bad!" It was only then that Tomuks realized Trunks was staring above his head again. Tomuks finally noticed the lack of tightness around his scalp. He had to laugh to himself as he realized Trunks had intended for the force of his blast to knock his cap away, and had succeeded. In place of the cap floating just above Tomuks' head now was a golden ring.

"What… is that…?" Trunks stared curiously. Trunks expression quickly changed from wonder to anger, "Are you cheating and using that thing to make you stronger?"

Tomuks was quiet for a short moment before he started to shake, stifling further laughs, "Oh, for a minute I thought you figured it out already… no I'm afraid it doesn't have anything to do with my strength. Your fight is with me, just me, and me alone!" Tomuks returned to a fighting stance, "Alright, now let's do this, all out!"

Trunks still wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew he couldn't let himself lose this fight. Putting a hand to the ground he charged in to Tomuks at full speed again. As Trunks flew, his eyes widened as his senses rang full alert in his head. The world around him began to grey out and slow to a crawl and he watched as Tomuks slid out of the way of his attack in slow motion. There was nothing he could do to stop himself, his body just couldn't react in time, as Tomuks hung his arm out and caught Trunks; wringing him around the neck.

Now in a headlock, Trunks struggled against the other boy's grip, "Come on Trunks, I said all out! I know you're a lot stronger than this! You did much more in your fight against Goten." Trunks squirmed and pulled on Tomuks's arm but he couldn't budge the boy an inch, "Come on now, show me your _real_ power!"

Trunks grunted in frustration and shut his eyes. His body began to glow and his hair spiked upward, "There it is!" Tomuks released Trunks and jumped away allowing him to complete his transformation. Trunks's aura started burning gold, and his hair and eye color changed. Trunks yelled loudly as he called forth all of his super saiyan power. His aura exploded into bright golden flames which licked at all sides of the arena floor. The transformation complete, Trunks stared Tomuks down from across the arena his expression plainly reading 'You asked for it!'

Rather than fear him though, Tomuks gave Trunks a genuine smile, "I'm impressed! To be so far advanced for your age, you've really been working hard haven't you?"

"Huh?" Trunks just didn't get it… why wasn't this boy budging? He should be trembling before him! He wanted this over, now! At lightning speed, Trunks burst across the arena and launched a flurry of new attacks on his opponent. The punches were radical, backed by at least ten times more force as his attacks before had been. Each punch sent shockwaves of air into the audience making some of them grip onto their seats. Tomuks however still blocked each attack without batting an eye. Trunks swung fiercely, but his fist would collide with Tomuks' forearm. The sound of the collision echoed throughout the entire stadium, and the announcer was screaming into his mic trying to keep his balance as the shockwaves from the blows passed by him.

Trunks pulled his fist back concentrating an immense amount of ki into his punch and lunged it into Tomuks's face. Tomuks disappeared into super speed and appeared a few inches to the left. Using the same style punch Trunks punched the left only to have Tomuks disappear to the right. Trunks just couldn't comprehend how this boy could be so fast.

The crowd roared in cheer. No one had been expecting the junior league to get this intense. Two matches in a row were performing beyond their wildest dreams! The crowd was demanding more!

Trunks jumped into the sky to prepare another energy attack. The boy exited from a burst of super speed up in the sky beside Trunks, "You fly even? Just… JUST WHO ARE YOU?" Trunks screamed as he fired his energy beam.

Tomuks caught the beam in one hand and smashed it into thousands of tiny harmless energy sparks, "And here I was thinking maybe you'd recognize me by the sound of my voice…"

The boy had sounded almost sarcastic, but Trunks's eyes widened as he realized the boy's voice really was familiar. Something about the tone struck a chord in his memories, but it was from a time so long ago his memories couldn't reach it, "I do know you! But how… From where? How do I know you?"

Tomuks laughed to himself, "No way, that actually worked? Well then let's see if this helps you figure out exactly who I am!" Tomuks lowered his fists and a power began swirling around him. For the first time in the match, an aura of ki burst from Tomuks' body and began to swirl all around. Trunks couldn't believe how much power he was sensing now; it had all been so well hidden. The ground began to tremble as the fiery aura surrounding Tomuks continued to grow and started changing colors from white to brilliant gold. The sky darkened as this new power became the dominant light. Tomuks gave a yell as his hair spiked up slightly and changed from black to gold. Trunks didn't have to see to know that underneath the sunglasses Tomuks' eyes had become an emerald green. Tomuks was a super saiyan.

The Z Fighters stared in awe and shock at the sudden turn of events, "There's no way… how can there be another super saiyan fighting Trunks?" Krillin yelled.

As Goku watched the match with equal suspense the facts started coming together in his head. The announcer had mentioned the boy was eleven years old. Trunks knocked his hat off revealing a halo which meant the boy was dead. Now the boy had transformed into a super saiyan! Goku's lip started to quiver.

Piccolo actually laughed causing the other Z-Warriors to turn around and look at him strangely. He had an uncharacteristic grin on his face, "It's masked but you recognize that power don't you?"

All at once, the human Z-Fighter's eyes widened as the ki signature struck a nerve and all at once the recognition became apparent.

A half smirk formed on Vegeta's mouth, "So… the oldest son of Kakarot is returned…"

"Gohan…" Goku finally uttered still staring in disbelief at the battle in the ring before them.

The fight continued on in the ring; however every punch Trunks would throw was now being caught and countered. Trunks had barely been a mach for Tomuks before he transformed, and now he was quickly realizing he stood no chance. Trunks lunged in with his right fist, but Tomuks countered quickly by grabbing his wrist, roughly yanking him to the side, and punched him in the stomach.

Disoriented, though not about to give up, Trunks did his best to shake off the pain and try again. Trunks kicked at his opponent only for his leg to be caught, twisted, and he took an elbow to the side of his ribs. Trunks fired off another energy wave, but his attack was easily tossed to the side only for Tomuks to fire another blast back at him which hit him hard in the face. Trunks's energy was depleting quickly, but as he persisted he saw Tomuks's smile getting warmer each time he renewed his attack as if he were being encouraged or admired. It made it hard for Trunks to hate him even if he was in a lot of pain.

Trunks paused for a brief moment to try and catch his breath, "Man… it's like sparring with Piccolo…"

Before Trunks managed to collect himself, a fist materialized in his gut. He reeled forward clenching his stomach tight after the well landed hit when Tomuks flipped in the air and kicked Trunks over the head sending him careening back down to the surface. Trunks hit the ground hard and Tomuks landed close by. Tomuks lunged forward to continue the assault when Trunks pushed himself up and launched a surprise attack. His ki was focused in his fist and he landed a punch as hard as he could to Tomuks's face. Tomuks looked to be spinning backward from the hit, but instead of falling he completely spun all the way around and landed on his feet, "Here's a bit of advice, if you take the advantage away from your opponent in a fight, whatever you do… DON'T BACK OFF!" Tomuks used the momentum from the spin to connect an elbow to the side of Trunks' head. Trunks slid across the arena all the way to the edge.

Sore and bleeding, Trunks still pushed himself to his feet again. The moment he was up, Tomuks appeared with his open palm mere millimeters away from Trunks' nose with an energy ball already forming. Trunks gasped in shock realizing this was it… He would be out for sure if that went off, so he shouted the first thing thought that came to his mind, "You're Goten's big brother aren't you?"

Tomuks hand remained firmly in place in front of Trunks' face, but he stopped charging the ball with any more energy, "What makes you say that?"

Trunks shook his head, "It's the only thing that even makes sense that somehow you're the ghost of Goten's big brother!"

Tomuks' grin widened and he chuckled coyly as he disappeared from sight in a flash of light. Trunks fell to his knees out of exhaustion and tried to catch his breath. He looked up and saw Tomuks walking down the stairs of the arena.

"Hey! Your opponent isn't out of the ring yet!" The announcer yelled trying to stop the boy, but Tomuks had already stepped onto the grass below.

"He stood up very well and absolutely refused to give up. He has heart and deserves the win today," Tomuks kept walking leaving the audience speechless.

As the boy walked down the exit road toward the waiting rooms he happened by a familiar face. Mister Satan stood close to the exit panicking as the boy approached, "It can't be… you… you can't possibly be that same boy… from that day… IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Mister Satan trembled in dread.

The boy lifted a finger to his lips, "Shhh, don't tell anyone." He smiled at the large man and continued his way past him, his hair returned to black as he entered the building, and his power once again faded away to absolute nothing.

Once over the shock of the battle, the announcer grabbed his microphone, "THERE YOU HAVE IT! THE OFFICIAL WINNER OF THE JUNIOR LEAGUE TOURNAMENT! LET'S HEAR IT FOR OUR YOUNG CHAMPION TRUNKS BRIEFS!" The crowd finally broke from their stupor and started cheering again.

Trunks was still on the ground panting, "Was that…? Could that really have been… Gohan?"

Goku and a few of the others came running into the contenders room behind the arena as soon as they had seen where Gohan was going but all they found was a discarded pair of jeans, a tee shirt, and the sun glasses left on the floor. Goku picked the articles up, "It was Gohan… It had to have been!"

Krillin looked around; he hadn't been able to sense anything from him since the match ended, "But if Gohan is here why not come right out and see us or say something?"

Piccolo scowled as he looked over the room. A sudden sense of foreboding washed over him as if something was out of place… "I don't know… maybe something else is going on… I have a feeling there are more surprises still in store for us today…."

Goku nodded and gripped the clothes in his hands tight, "All we can do is wait and see… let's go." Goku led the way out of the room and back to the grand stands.

Once the room was silent, a figure clad in a blue fighting uniform emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room. Gohan stared in the direction his dad and friends had just run off in, "Just as I thought, they're a lot stronger now… Things should go pretty smoothly on their own then."

With a loud pop, Phips materialized at Gohan's side, "Just what did you think you were doing letting Trunks win? You had him! You could have won the tournament!" The Imp rubbed his elbow against Gohan's side, "We could have had so much fun with that prize money!"

Gohan laughed, "I never had any intention of actually winning the tournament for myself. I just wanted to test them to get a better idea of how ready they are for what's coming… If it hadn't been for the age restriction thing it would have been nice to actually fight my dad in the tournament, but I think I can pretty accurately gauge their abilities based off of Trunks and Goten. Plus it was nice just getting to see them."

Phips chuckled, "If that was all you were interested in then why build up all the suspense and ask me to to arrange the matches for you to face off with them in the final, huh?"

A sly grin crossed Gohan's face, "Thanks for that by the way."

Phips made a sleight of hand gesture, "A flick of the wrist and it's done, not a problem!"

Gohan laughed with his friend, "Well you know a surprise ending never killed anyone!"

"Ever heard of a heart attack?" Phips retorted.

Gohan shook his head, "The important thing is they're ready… But I still really want to talk to them…"

Phips crossed his arms, "Well if I were you, I would try to make time for touchy reunions _after_ the threat of universal destruction has been taken care of."

Gohan smiled, "You're right, no more distractions… OK let's get down to business then!"

Phips pulled out a movie scene clacker from behind his back, "Phips' and Gohan's first big duo assignment, scene two, take one, ACTION!" he snapped the board loudly

Gohan patted his small friend, "Alright, I said let's do this already!" the two teleported off to carry out the mission assigned to them by the Sovereign Kai.

* * *

End Chapter


	9. Universal Truths

Chapter 9: Universal Truths

* * *

The tournament had entered the intermission between the junior league and the adult tournament and millions of spectators bustled around the concession stands using the break as an opportunity to stock up on refreshments and memorabilia. High above the arena, camouflaged by the many advertisement billboards atop the stadium seating sat Gohan and Phips overlooking the events below.

Gohan's gaze had lost focus over the last few minutes spent on top of the crowd. After his fight with Trunks and his brief moment seeing everyone he was starting to realize he was feeling homesick. He remembered how much of a shock it was when he arrived earlier in the day and learned he now had a little brother who was seven years old. So much had changed and everyone was looking good. It made him feel as though he had missed out on a lot.

It had only been earlier that morning when he saw his mom and dad walking toward him while he was signing in at the registration counter. They walked right by him not recognizing him at all in his disguise and with his power completely masked. He had to struggle not to get emotional watching them walk away. Deep down though he knew it was for the best that everyone was getting along great without him.

Gohan finally heard someone talking to him and snapped out of his thoughts, "Sorry Phips I must have zoned out. What were you saying?"

The imp looked dejected, "Just that the world got blown up while you were daydreaming and we lost, bummer…"

Gohan scrunched his face as if to plead with Phips not to joke like that, "Really, what is it?"

Phips chuckled and pointed down to a secluded area behind the grand stands, "Look!"

Taking notice, Gohan peered down and saw two figures approach his friends and family, "Is that… the Supreme Kai?"

Phips nodded, "Yup, I'd say so, and looks like he brought his big burly body guard with him."

"I wonder what they're doing on earth…" Gohan scratched his head wishing he could hear what they were saying from so far away.

All four of Phips ears wiggled on his head and pointed in their direction, "Uh-huh… Yeah… That makes sense… Oh of course!"

Gohan squinted his eyes not looking very patient at Phips, "Alright Phips, what are they talking about?"

Phips laughed and winked at Gohan, "You are not going to believe this! He actually says he travelled all the way here just to fight with your dad!"

Gohan chuckled, "Of course he has…" Gohan continued to watch as the Supreme Kai and Kibito turned and walked away from his friends. "I wish I knew why they were really here though…"

"Maybe you should go up and ask him?" Phips teased.

Gohan sighed, "Yeah sure… remember how the last Supreme Kai reacted when he found out we were operating in his universe?"

Phips held out a sock puppet dressed in witch's robes, "Hickery Dickery Poof!" A puff of smoke surrounded the puppet and it quickly melted away from Phips' hand. "Do you mean before or after he threatened to banish us all to fluidic subspace with our target?"

Gohan let out a slight chuckle at Phips familiar antics, "They tend to be a little prideful when it comes to outside interference don't they?"

Phips sneered at the comment, "Prideful? Don't you mean homicidal?"

The tournament placement was next on the day's list of events. Krillin was excited to see he wouldn't be fighting any of his friends in the first round. Piccolo's expression darkened and his aura gave off an eerie sense of tension as he saw he would be fighting Shin in the second round. The daughter of Mister Satan and the behemoth Spopovich were pitted in third match. Goku would have the chance to take on Shin's partner Kibito in the fourth round. Eighteen appeared completely uninterested at her pairing against Mister Satan in the fifth round. Yamcha's face turned blue as he saw he would be fighting Vegeta in round six. The seventh round would be between two normal humans, Mighty Mask and Killa. A crowd favorite Jewel was set to face off against Yamu who looked strikingly similar to Spopovich in the eighth match.

The crowd roared in anticipation as the first rounds got under way.

"I got my money on the little guy. Given the difference in size the betting ratio should be at ten to one odds. You in?" Phips held out a hundred zenni in his hand to Gohan.

Gohan crossed his arms, "No I'm not betting against Krillin, and where'd you get real money anyway?"

The match lasted an entire two hits and Krillin had Pintar floored with minimal effort. The crowd gasped in disbelief that a man who had previously made it to the semi-finals was defeated effortlessly in the first round.

The announcer was quick to get the crowds enthusiasm back, "This is the kind of match we've been waiting for! Let's hear it loud for Krillin!"

Krillin walked from the arena, his hand held high in victory as Piccolo and Shin entered the arena.

Not wasting anytime, the announcer held the microphone to his mouth to psych up the crowd for the next match, "The last time Piccolo participated in the World Martial Arts Tournament the entire arena was left nearly destroyed! His return is marked with high expectations for an amazing show! Let the battle begin!"

Piccolo stared at Shin from across the arena, not making a move to engage him in attack. Many thoughts were flooding through Piccolo's mind, disturbing his concentration.

The crowd was growing impatient as neither of the combatants had made a single attack. Piccolo closed his eyes as if solidifying his thoughts, "Forgive me if I'm completely wrong… but I must ask you… are you the Supreme Kai?"

Shin's eyes widened slightly, but his grin was quick to return to his face, "So you know of me former guardian of earth?"

Piccolo nodded slowly, "Only legends… and forgive my bluntness but I must ask why are you on earth?"

"All in due time… for now why don't we enjoy our little match?" The Kai remained standing perfectly straight, hardly in a position to begin a battle by normal means.

Eyes narrowing, Piccolo spoke again, "Wait… one other question… does your being here have something to do with Gohan's appearance here at the tournament?"

The Supreme Kai's eyes widened, "What? I don't know any Gohan."

Piccolo looked confused, "Kai you must know… Gohan was killed in a battle seven years ago and when the Dragon Balls were used to restore his life they were unable to. He was completely spirited away from the dimensional realms of which the Dragon has power over. You must know something!" Piccolo actually sounded demanding in the presence of the Supreme Kai no less. The knowledge imparted to him by Kami screamed at him to be more respectful, but he cared little for this where Gohan was concerned.

The Supreme Kai's expression changed from surprised to astonished, "He was removed from the universe after death? But that's impossible…"

Gritting his teeth in anger, Piccolo realized the Supreme Kai was of no use in this matter, "Never mind then… This match is just a waste of my time…" Piccolo turned and walked calmly from the arena.

"What in all the galaxies is going on here…?" The Supreme Kai watched as Piccolo retreated behind fighter's divide presumably to carry on his search for this Gohan.

The crowd was booing from the lack of action from the last matchup. The tournament administration wasted no time in getting the next fighters up in the ring.

Trying to get the crowd back under control, the announcer felt it was a good time to be introducing the daughter of Mister Satan into the tournament, "Alright now ladies and gentlemen! Our fighters are ready for round three! You all know Videl Satan the daughter of the world martial arts master Hercule Satan! She's stepping into the ring looking incredibly confident today! Videl has won the junior league tournament ever since its conception six years ago and today many are expecting her to go all the way to the top and compete toe to toe with her own father! Against her first is a man defeated by Mister Satan in the first round of the last tournament. Though he looks like he's been working out since then, here's Spopovich! Let's hear it for our fighters! And Begin!"

The moment the bell sounded, Videl was on the assault. She dashed across the arena with amazing speed and grace. Spopovich appeared to be pummeled by Videl's ability. Videl delivered a hard kick to the head, flooring Spopovich hard. The entire audience thought the match was already over, however Spopovich was quick to get back up to his feet.

"Do you feel that Gohan?" Phips looked down at the arena with a seriousness in his expression.

Gohan nodded, "That's got to be the wizard manipulation we were told about. Looks like we found our target. Now we just need to watch where he goes."

Videl continued to beat the muscular man down, however from each fall he would only rise again. Videl was beginning to show signs of exhaustion, and her attacks grew weaker. The crowd seemed oblivious and continued chanting her name.

"She's a popular one around here… shame she's not going to win this fight…" Phips shook his head.

Videl was charging in to land another blow when Spopovich finally made an aggressive move and delivered a kick to her stomach. The impact came with enough force to knock the wind out of her and her eyes widened from pain.

Spopovich then began his attack. He grabbed the girl by the hair and rammed his fist into her face again and again. Blood was trickling from her broken nose and split lips. With his hand still clenched around her head, Spopovich slammed Videl's body to the ground making an audible crack sound.

The crowd was obviously disturbed by the turn of events. The police force who had come as Videl's personal cheer squad were showing increasing signs of anger.

The beating continued as Spopovich seemed intent on only using attacks strong enough to inflict as much pain as possible without causing the girl to pass out or die.

"Oh that's gonna leave a mark…" Phips shook his head as he watched Videl's skull being crushed under Spopovich's boot, "What do you think Go… han?"

Gohan's breathing was coming in raspy at this point of the battle. Images flashed in his mind, memories of the time Frieza had him pinned to the ground slowly cracking his skull open. He had to struggle to maintain his camouflage over his power, "I've seen this before… This kind of brutality… He's just a bully… Just like Frieza and The Ginyu Force from when I was a small kid… They think they're so great… Someone needs to get in there and really show that guy how weak he is!" Gohan exclaimed through gritted teeth.

"Hey calm down buddy…" Phips pulled out a plush monkey, "I'll let you hold Georgey if you take a deep breath and count to ten."

Gohan let out a sigh, "I'm alright Phips… It's just hard to watch something like this and sit back and do nothing…"

"Spopovich!" A shout from the side of the arena caught everyone's attention.

"Hey look, Spopovich has a twin!" Phips whistled.

Yamu barked at his partner, "We have more important things to do, end this now!"

Spopovich nodded and tossed Videl's limp body from the ring. Everyone grew quiet as the round ended; even the announcer could say nothing after the horrible display of aggression.

Finally free of the stupor the tournament attendants ran over to Videl with a stretcher and carried her off to the infirmary. Videl was still screaming from the pain just from being touched and moved.

Gohan quickly stood up, "I'll be right back…"

"Wait, what about the mission?" Phips pleaded.

"Those two aren't going anywhere soon, I'll be just a second!" Gohan said as he vanished into nothing.

In the infirmary, doctors were working on attending to Videl's cuts and bruises. The doctors turned away to gather their tools and all Videl could see was a bright light directly above her head.

A shadow crossed over her face in front of the light and blurred youthful features entered her vision, "Hi!" it said.

"W…Wha… Wh… o?" Videl barely moaned out.

Gohan held out a cracker, "Here eat this, it's made from Panacea Wheat. Works just like a Senzu Bean!"

Videl opened her mouth to try and question the boy again; however the cracker was gently pushed into her mouth. Videl slowly chewed out of reflex and once she began to swallow, the face above her own smiled and vanished without a trace.

"VIDEL! VIDEL!" The door to the infirmary slammed open as Mister Satan came running into the room.

"Please sir, your daughter is in serious condi…tion…" The doctors stopped and looked completely baffled as Videl was sitting up on the examination bed and looked as if nothing was wrong, "But…"

Videl looked up at the ceiling and whispered, "Thank you…"

Mister Satan walked up to his daughter, "Videl… what happened? Who were you talking to?"

Videl looked just as confused as the doctors, "I think it was… an angel… a black haired cherub angel…"

Gohan appeared seated by Phips again before the next round started.

"You gave her a Panacea Cracker didn't you?" Phips asked.

"I did," Gohan stated plainly.

"Oooo, someone's got a crush on a girl!" Phips teased.

Gohan's eyes widened and a slight blush crossed his face, "I do not!"

Phips did a twirl and instantly donned red lipstick and a wig, "Don't be shy now, kissy kissy!" Phips puckered up and Gohan thumped him over the head. "Oww!" Phips rubbed his head, his disguise immediately shrugged off.

"She was an innocent bystander caught in the cross fire of what's going on here. I couldn't just let her suffer through it," Gohan defended.

"Always the benevolent one aren't you?" Phips turned to watch the next match, "Oh look! Your dad's up!"

Gohan grinned as he saw his dad would be fighting the Supreme Kai's body guard.

"This is odd…" Phips looked down at the match confused.

"What is it?" Gohan strained for a better look to try and figure out what was going on.

Ears twitching, Phips commented, "The Kai's guard, Kibito, is demanding your dad transform into a Super Saiyan."

Gohan laughed, "He barely stands a chance against my dad in his normal form, what could he possibly do against my dad once he goes super?"

The laughing immediately stopped as Goku began to transform in the ring. "Wow…" Gohan couldn't help but stare in awe and admiration at his father as his power was greater than he remembered. The entire stadium trembled and buckled from the force of Goku's powering up.

Once Goku finished powering up, Gohan noticed movement at the side of the arena. Spopovich and Yamu were dashing into the ring carrying a strange machine. Goku began to turn toward them, but the Supreme Kai intervened and used his power to restrain Goku.

Goku was stabbed by the contraption and his power was drained from him, "What are they doing to him?" Gohan watched in horror as his dad's life force depleted.

Once the energy drain was complete, the device was pulled from Goku's side and the two men flew off into the sky.

Gohan was up on his feet in an instant, "Listen Phips, I'll follow them, you make sure my dad's alright! We'll meet back up as soon as I figure out where they're going!" In a bright flash of light Gohan disappeared.

"Yes sir… Sheesh you'd think he was in charge or something…" Phips grumbled as he continued to watch the events take place below.

Kibito was quick to restore Goku's energy. The Supreme Kai hurried over to Goku and after explaining that his help would be greatly appreciated he launched into the air after the two wizard cronies as well. Most of the Z Warriors were quick to follow eager to find out what exactly was going on.

Phips sighed to himself as making sure Gohan's dad was okay took an entire extra five seconds… "And now I'm supposed to wait here… Just great… I'll never make employee of the month with these dumb assignments!"

Phips sat and sulked with only his popcorn to munch on as he watched everyone else fly off to meet new adventure.

* * *

End Chapter


	10. Peril Encountered

Chapter 10: Peril Encountered

* * *

As the Supreme Kai flew in pursuit of Spopovich and Yamu he turned to look over his shoulder and smiled as he saw his followers. Goku, Vegeta, Krillin, and Yamcha were quickly catching up to he and Kibito.

"Thank you all for coming," The Supreme Kai nodded to Goku who was leading the pack, "Without your assistance I would not be able to defeat them."

"Sure…" Goku looked forward sensing the two they were chasing, "But Supreme Kai, why do you need help stopping those two?"

The Supreme Kai grit his teeth, "It is not those two who concern me… it is the evil wizard who controls them."

"A… wizard?" Krillin spoke shakily.

"Yes, allow me to explain," The Supreme Kai closed his eyes recalling the memory, "You see millions of years ago when mankind was barely in its infancy a terrible wizard by the name of Bibidi created a horrifying creature of pure hate. It was known as Majin Buu. This creature wreaked havoc across the entire universe. Millions of planets were lost to this monster's immense power. Majin Buu was finally sealed away and left here on earth within an eternal prison."

"Why do I get the feeling this eternal prison thing isn't so eternal?" Yamcha gulped keeping up with his friends.

"Unfortunately he is correct…" The Supreme Kai sighed, "Bibidi's son Babidi is here to attempt to resurrect Majin Buu and once again flood the entire universe with its evil chaos. He has with him a legion of strong servants, whom he controls by influencing the evil desires within their hearts, here to assist him. We must stop Babidi and his men from resurrecting Majin Buu at all costs!"

Kibito's stern eyes never left their quarry, "Look, they are landing."

"Everyone suppress your power, we do not want to be detected yet…" The Supreme Kai commanded as they touched down on a cliff overlooking the clearing the two servants of Babidi landed.

Spopovich and Yamu landed and awaited their master at the entrance to the ship.

Inside the ship, Babidi watched through a crystal ball as his minions landed with the energy he required. "They have returned… and if these readings are correct they have captured a substantial amount of energy in the collector…" Babidi's eyes widened as the crystal ball moved to the scene on the cliff side, "The Supreme Kai! And it looks as if he has brought company… oh dear…"

Babidi growled as he studied the warriors the Supreme Kai had with him closer. "Hmph… two of them may prove useful to us actually…" Eying his assistants Babidi barked out, "Go and collect the energy from the two morons and dispose of them! Then see what you can do to lure the two stronger warriors inside the ship. They may possess the energy we need to fully revive Majin Buu!"

"Of course," A deep voice spoke as their shadows turned to leave the control room.

The Supreme Kai looked over the agitated ground, "So they eluded our detection by burying the ship under the ground here… how clever…"

Frustrated with the situation, Kibito shook his fist, "This must mean they are already aware we are on earth!"

The door to the ship opened and an alien reminiscent of Frieza's third transformation in appearance stepped out of the ship. Spopovich and Yamu saluted him as they handed over the energy collector. From behind the alien emerged a large being with horns and red skin, "Oh no… Dabura!" The Kai had to restrain from shouting in fear.

The others looked to the Kai worriedly as he tried to explain, "Dabura is the King of the Demons! His power is far beyond anything we are prepared for. This completely changes our plans of attack…"

Once the energy collector was in the alien's hands he smiled deviously at the two human cohorts, "Thank you for this, but unfortunately your usefulness has, how should I put it… expired!" The alien waved his free hand firing a stream of energy. The power engulfed the two men and began to slowly disintegrate their bodies. They screamed in agony for several moments before they were finally burned away to nothing. Goku could hardly believe the brutality, forcing the two of them to suffer like that before death, and they were supposedly allies!

"Incredible…" The Supreme Kai took a moment to keep his breathing in check, "They're just so powerful…"

The alien smiled to his partner before stepping back into the ship leaving Dabura alone outside. Moments passed and Dabura made no movement only stood perfectly calm and still several feet from the main entrance.

Krillin and Yamcha crawled over to the side of the cliff to get a better look, "I don't get it, why is he just standing there?"

A slight wind built up around Dabura just barely ruffling his clothes. Vegeta caught the subtle action, "HE'S POWERING UP!"

A grin formed quickly on Dabura's face as he vanished from where he was standing and soared across the empty field. In an instant he had appeared directly in front of the Z-Fighters, his hand outstretched in front of Kibito's face.

Everyone gasped as a deep laugh escaped Dabura's throat and an intense blast formed in the demon's hand quickly obliterating the Supreme Guard in front of him.

"KIBITO NO!" The Supreme Kai shouted.

Goku clenched his fists tight as he leapt at the Demon. Prepared for the oncoming attack, Dabura ducked out of the way of the attack but was met by Vegeta's boot who still managed to get a quick shot in. Dabura's gaze turned to anger quickly and he spat two wads of saliva toward the cliff, one hitting Krillin and the other Yamcha.

The Supreme Kai watched in horror as he had forgotten Dabura's ability to turn living persons to stone with his spit. Caught unaware, Krillin and Yamcha watched in horror as their skin hardened and grayed. Within moments the two were completely solid and still as statues. Entranced by the gruesome transforming spectacle before them, Goku and Vegeta stopped paying attention to Dabura long enough for him to retreat back to the ship, "Leave now if you value your lives!" He shouted as he flew through the ship's entrance, his laugh echoing in the air behind him.

Goku's horrified expression solidified quickly to determination and rage, "Supreme Kai! What can we do to help Krillin and Yamcha?"

The Supreme Kai sank to the ground, "I'm sorry, but there's nothing that can be done for them… The only way to reverse this ability is to defeat Dabura himself…"

"Well in that case we'll have them back to normal in no time. You up for a fight Vegeta?" Goku called toward his fellow Saiyan.

Vegeta grunted and gave a nod, "Anytime!" Goku jumped from the cliff and began to soar down toward the ship, Vegeta close behind.

"WAIT! Don't go! This is exactly what they want! They're bating you!" The Supreme Kai tried to warn the two Saiyans however his call went ignored. Whether due to them unhearing or them uncaring, the Supreme Kai was unsure. He grunted and followed the pair.

Once inside the ship the three found themselves in a room looking strangely like an arena. The entrance behind them quickly slammed shut. "A trap… just as I thought… You see? Now we're in trouble…" The Kai moaned.

"Oh you worry too much Supreme Kai!" Goku tried to comfort the Kai, "Just leave this to Vegeta and me and we'll have everything settled in no time!"

"All the doors are sealed…" Vegeta noticed, "A quick blast should take care of them though."

"DON'T YOU DARE!" The Supreme Kai shouted sounding more demanding than any comment he'd made yet, "A shock to this ship could inadvertently wake Majin Buu! We must find a way to defeat Babidi and his forces without disturbing that monster otherwise the entire universe will face extinction! Do you understand?"

Goku gulped at how serious the Kai sounded and nodded.

"Good… Then I doubt we'll be left waiting here long. Let's find out what exactly our hosts have in store for us first." The Supreme Kai walked to the side of the room rubbing his temples. He could just tell that things were not going to be going his way this day.

Indeed though it wasn't long before the door in front of the room opened and the alien they had seen above on the surface entered. "Greetings fools!" The alien spoke confidently, "I am called Pwipwi, welcome to my master's home, I hope you find your stay most unpleasant!"

"What do you want?" Vegeta asked sounding very disinterested in the creature.

Pwipwi continued to laugh, "You are in the first of three stages of my master's ship. At each stage is a fighter waiting to crush you into nothing and steal your energy to use towards the revival of Majin Buu! You needn't worry of the other stages however as I am the warrior you must face here at stage one… And I'll make sure your deaths are as painful as possible!"

Goku stepped over to Vegeta, "So what do you think? You want him or should I take him on?"

"The loud mouth is all mine…" Vegeta smirked.

Goku smiled and walked back to the Supreme Kai, "Alright, but I call dibbs on the next stage!"

Both Pwipwi and the Supreme Kai looked baffled that Vegeta was being left to fight alone, "Goku, what do you think you're doing? Vegeta is going to need your help!"

"Don't worry about him, just sit back and watch," Goku reassured the Kai.

"But…" The Kai couldn't truly grasp the notion that Vegeta was capable of defeating this enemy on his own.

"Fools…" Pwipwi uttered again as he dashed to Vegeta and began volleying assaults. Vegeta dodged, ducked, and blocked every attack Pwipwi made with amazing speed. The more this continued the wider Vegeta's confident smirk became. "NO GAMES!" Pwipwi snarled as he pulled back his fist and flung it toward Vegeta's head with a massive amount of energy glowing in his palm.

Vegeta easily caught the fist and continued to stare Pwipwi down. Pwipwi's expression quickly revealed his astonishment, "Come on then, what happened? You're the one who challenged a saiyan, now FIGHT!" Vegeta punched Pwipwi slamming him to the ground.

The alien pushed himself back to his feet and stared Vegeta down angrily, "Don't make me laugh, you couldn't possibly begin to comprehend the power I pos… URGH!" Pwipwi was silenced by a swift kick to the stomach and he sailed across the room hitting the wall hard. Pwipwi pushed himself back up to his feet and noticed Vegeta was no longer in his sight.

"Too easy…" Vegeta scoffed as he kicked Pwipwi from behind sending him sliding across the floor of the room.

From the control area at the bottom of the ship, Babidi watched in terror as Pwipwi was losing horribly in his fight, "This is bad… If this keeps up Pwipwi is going to lose the fight and not collect a scrap of energy towards resurrecting Majin Buu!" The wizard paced back and forth regarding his options carefully. "Perhaps if I give Pwipwi the home advantage it could turn the tides!" Babidi stared deeply into his crystal ball and chanted "Paparapapa!"

Vegeta approached Pwipwi ready to deliver further pummeling when the arena surrounding them shifted and melted away. They all suddenly found themselves apparently on another planet with strange red rock formations and other planetoids in orbit close by.

Pwipwi realizing what had happened pushed himself to his feet while laughing; "Now you'll see how foolish you were to fight me! Welcome to my home world, planet Voon! One thing you should already be noticing is one of my planet's major differences from yours… The gravity you see is ten times that of earth! You'll barely be able to walk while I remain unaffected and beat you to your deaths!" Pwipwi charged to Vegeta again.

Just as before, however, Vegeta socked Pwipwi hard in the face with his gloved hand sending the alien warrior flying off in the other direction where he crashed into a boulder. Pushing himself up again he looked at Vegeta astonished, "But how…? You shouldn't be able to even move!"

Vegeta smirked again, "If you had been born on a planet with gravity a thousand times greater than that on earth then perhaps you'd make a decent challenge for me… but ten times… My children train under stronger gravity than this!"

Pwipwi shook off the shock, "You're lying! You're just trying to intimidate me! It's not going to work!" the alien started running toward the Saiyan Prince as fast as he could once again. Vegeta gracefully soared across the field to meet Pwipwi before the alien could react.

Pwipwi's eyes widened finally realizing the saiyan's statement was no bluff. The fear set in on his face as he realized there was nothing he could do to react in time as Vegeta's palms opened up mere inches away from his torso releasing a blinding light. Pwipwi couldn't even scream as the energy exploded from Vegeta's hands and engulfed his body, tearing through him immediately.

Vegeta stood the victor over Pwipwi's smoldering Ashes, his arms folded as the room returned to the arena of the ship. "A death too kind for the likes of you," Vegeta snorted as he walked over to the shaft leading down which had opened in the center of the room.

Goku smiled to Vegeta as he joined him and they jumped down to the next level. The Supreme Kai remained staring wide eyed where the spectacle had taken place before him just a moment earlier, "Incredible… I had no idea these saiyans were that strong…" Quickly shaking the shock off, the Kai ran after the two.

Babidi grunted in frustration after witnessing the easy defeat of one his generals, "Why… those… RAAAGGGGHHH!" Swinging around, Babidi pointed a finger at one of the attendants in his control room, "Send in Yakon to the second stage!"

The guard gulped loudly and bowed, "Yes sir! Immediately!"

Goku and Vegeta touched down in an arena looking strikingly familiar to stage one, "I suppose this is stage two?" Goku rubbed his head.

Vegeta crossed his arms, "Did this being the second room give it away that easily?"

Goku grimaced and watched the door. It only took a few more moments until the door opened and an enormous green froggish creature with gigantic claws entered the room, drooling hungrily at what he hoped was his next snack.

"Ewww…" Goku took a step back looking at the ugly alien creature.

"Goku watch out! That monster is called Yakon! It's regarded as one of the most fearsome creatures in the universe! It's very, VERY strong!" The Supreme Kai warned.

Goku smiled and waved the Kai off, "Okay gotchya! Thanks for the warning!"

The Kai's face blanked out at how light hearted Goku was taking the situation.

"Are you ready then?" Goku asked his opponent who only grumbled unintelligibly in response. Yakon formed what looked like a grin on his amphibious features and dashed toward Goku. Goku jumped out of the way and Yakon was quick to change direction and pursue Goku up into the air. Once Goku saw the monster was following him up, he flipped in mid air and delivered a kick to Yakon's face sending him hurling to the ground. Yakon hit with enough force to shake the entire ship.

Babidi held tight onto his crystal ball as the room around him vibrated, "I can't allow them to accidentally wake Majin Buu yet!" Concentrating on the arena again, Babidi held out his hands and chanted "Paparapapa!"

The Supreme Kai balanced himself precariously to keep from falling after Goku's last attack floored Yakon and was about to scold Goku for causing damage to the ship when the light quickly faded from the room leaving all of the occupants in pitch blackness, "This is Babidi's magic at work again!"

"Hmmm…" Goku felt around his environment realizing they had been moved to another planet. Goku immediately ducked out of the way as a large sharp talon sliced over his head. Pushing himself up by his hands, Goku delivered a strong kick to Yakon's chin. Caught off guard by the hit, Yakon squealed and tried to keep his balance. Goku flipped upright and punched Yakon down and burst into super speed. Yakon moved as well attempting to keep up.

The Supreme Kai stared into the darkness in total awe as all he could hear were the thunderous clashes of a tremendous battle. Vegeta appeared to be perfectly calm standing at the Kai's side, "Can you tell what's going on?"

Vegeta didn't move and very calmly spoke, "Yes, Kakarot is winning."

With another resounding crash, Yakon flew through several layers of stalagmites and became embedded in a stone wall. Goku floated close by in front of him, "Sorry to disappoint you, but playing in the dark isn't going to keep me from knowing where you are, you just smell too bad to not know you're close by!" Goku laughed.

Yakon growled as it stood back up and faced Goku through the dark, "I'll get you, you're nothing but my next meal!"

Goku shook his head, "Listen, I'm going to give you just one chance to give up and go back to where you came from peacefully. Take this offer now and no further harm will come to you."

Yakon laughed, "Such foolish talk from a pesky fly!"

Goku sighed as Yakon jumped at him again. Goku spun on one leg with his knee outstretched, colliding it with the side of Yakon's head and sending the froggish titan to the ground hard.

Yakon started pushing himself up when Goku teleported up in the sky behind him. Powering up, Goku's hair spiked up in a golden flash and his hands clasped at his side, "You had your chance Yakon… KA ME HA ME…"

Yakon finally up on his feet turned and looked at the brilliant light in the sky.

"HAA!" Goku shouted releasing the mighty blast which lit up everything for miles across the planet of darkness. Yakon's eyes widened as the energy approached. Yakon opened his mouth to try and absorb the energy of the light as it impacted.

Up in the sky, Goku noticed Yakon seemed to be inhaling his energy wave. Deciding to keep it up, Goku pushed his power further and intensified the wave giving off even more light. Yakon's body began to expand from taking in so much power. Vegeta's eye quirked as he realized what was about to happen, "This is going to be messy…"

"Huh?" The Supreme Kai asked confused as Yakon's body exploded sending frog guts in every direction.

The room changed back to the arena inside the spaceship as Goku landed and powered down, "Too easy!" The Supreme Kai wiped the green goop from his face and gasped for air as Goku approached them, "Oops… Maybe I did get a little carried away," Goku laughed sheepishly.

"It's alright…" The Kai shook himself off as the shaft to the next level opened. "One stage left…" Goku and Vegeta were already jumping in as the Kai pulled himself together. "Perhaps I've been looking at things the wrong way…" The Kai quickly chased after them.

Babidi trembled after witnessing the destruction of one of his most fearsome minions, "This… this isn't possible… they're strong… so strong…"

Noticing his master's plight, Dabura looked into the shadows before regarding Babidi once again, "Fear not, for I will personally deal with these two in stage three."

Babidi stopped shaking and looked up to Dabura with his mouth agape, "But Dabura… what if they defeat you too? You are my most powerful warrior; if they defeat you I'll be defenseless!"

Dabura smiled, "They know not the true force I wield… I am Dabura the Demon King! And these two will fall by the way side just as all the others who have dared face me before have," Dabura scowled into the shadows again before turning and leaving to stage three.

Goku and Vegeta landed on the arena ground of stage three and found the door their next opponent would be coming from, "Last one, who gets this one?" Goku asked Vegeta confidently.

"Only one way to settle this I'd say…" Vegeta scowled at his rival.

The Supreme Kai suddenly felt the chilly atmosphere develop between the two of them and his eyes widened as they assumed battle postures, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Stay out of this Supreme Kai, this is between Kakarot and myself!" Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he looked Goku up and down.

Goku grinned as he inched closer to Vegeta, "Let's do it…" he spoke menacingly.

Vegeta nodded, "Three… two… one…"

The two Saiyans pulled their fists back and the Kai could barely stand to watch.

"GO!" The two shouted as their fists flew toward each other, "SCISSORS!" They both shouted as their hands formed the scissor position.

The Supreme Kai's mouth fell wide open as he saw the two weren't going to fight after all, but we're doing something which completely dumbfounded him none the less. The two full grown saiyans began playing Rock, Paper, Scissors in front of him. "I don't believe this…"

The game was interrupted as the door opened and Dabura stepped into the room, "Oh no…" The Supreme Kai gasped at their opponent.

"Foolish mortals, you have come despite my warning. Now you will all face excruciating death…" A power began to swirl around Dabura making his cape flutter in the wind.

"Alright, he's all mine now!" Goku exclaimed.

Vegeta's hand appeared in front of Goku's chest, "No, I'll be the one to defeat him!"

Goku's hand moved in front of Vegeta in a similar manner, "No Vegeta, it's my responsibility to stop this one!"

Vegeta's hand moved in front of Goku again, "No, it only makes sense that the Prince of Saiyans should fight the King of Demons!"

Dabura began to grow impatient with the two, "Enough! Demon Blade!" Dabura held his arm out and a large sword materialized in his hand, "Now… FEEL MY POWER!" Dabura charged at the two and sliced down with his giant weapon.

Goku and Vegeta stepped back out of the way as Dabura approached, however as the Demon Blade sliced through the air a loud clang resounded through the arena as Dabura encountered a force stopping him from continuing his attack, "WHAT?"

Goku, Vegeta, and the Supreme Kai stared curiously at the Demon suspended in mid-air. Dabura tried pushing down harder on his weapon but could not push past this barrier stopping him. "What trickery is this?"

From under Dabura's weapon, the outline of another weapon began to emerge out of thin air. From the outline, color filled in as a large sword and its wielder became substantial and visible in the middle of the room.

"Gohan…" Goku whispered.

Gohan stood before the Demon King, the Realis firmly in his grasp against the Demon Blade. Dabura grunted at the child before him and backed off slowly, "How did you enter our ship without us detecting your presence?"

Gohan lowered the weapon and stared menacingly at Dabura, "Ghosts can do things like that," Gohan retorted. Dabura growled taking notice of the halo above Gohan's head. Gohan lifted the Realis in one hand and pointed it at the Demon king "Now then… Dabura… you're the one who turned my friends outside into statues. Tell me right now how to turn them back!"

Dabura grinned, "I see… Unfortunately for you there is only one way to turn them back from stone to flesh… and that is to destroy me!"

Gohan held his sword out to the side preparing to strike, "I'll give you one chance to tell me a different way to save them."

Dabura began to laugh, "You will never save them! Perhaps if I'm feeling merciful I'll allow you to join them in stone rather than face the excruciating onslaught of my demonic powers!"

A sigh escaped Gohan's mouth, "Then you brought this upon yourself…" Dabura's eyes widened as a spark of power from within the boy made itself known. The energy burst to the surface in an instant and faster than the eye could blink Gohan had moved from a standstill in front of Dabura to now standing completely motionless several meters behind the Demon with his sword held outward.

"Huh?" Dabura snarled as he noticed the insanely quick movement. An annoyed look crossed his face as he turned to stare at the boy again when a line formed across his Demon Blade. The end of the weapon above the slice fell from the hilt. Dabura made an aggravated grunt, but then noticed the line travelled all the way across his own body.

A light began to pour out of Dabura's body through the thin cut, "What… NO!" Dabura couldn't resist the force as his body began imploding along the line of the slice. Power began exuding from the cut as Dabura was compacted and pulled within it, "I… AM… THE… DEMON KING!" Dabura's hand was the last part of his body to be pulled into the slice in space as it reached for anything to hold onto as it was sucked into nothingness. Once Dabura's entire being had been consumed by the attack, a large flash of light exploded from within it with a deafening boom. The light cleared and all traces of the Demon King's power had vanished.

Gohan let out a deep breath and sheathed the sword in the scabbard on his back. His emotions raced in his heart as he turned around to finally face Goku, "Hi daddy."

Only a few levels down Babidi fell to his hands and knees, "DABURAAA!" wallowing in self pity and powerlessness, Babidi began to sniff emotionally.

"So he's arrived at last…" spoke a voice from the darkness.

Babidi's eyes widened, "Please master, forgive me! My minions were unable to stop the intruders…"

The voice from the shadows barked, "End your sniveling now! Did you actually expect your feeble warriors to stand a chance against a Sovereign Guardian?"

"Sovereign?" Babidi asked curiously.

"Yes… a level of Kai beyond even the Supreme Kai. This does not change your priorities. You will continue to work toward the revival of Majin Buu, and if the Sovereign dares attack us… Then I will deal with him myself…" The voice from the shadows began to laugh menacingly as it distanced itself from Babidi's prone form.

Shaking on the floor Babidi clenched his small fist, "Of course master… whatever you say…"

* * *

End Chapter

I'm hoping this chapter wasn't too boring as a lot of the content I felt really mirrored the actual series too closely. I just hate ending chapters without expanding into content that differs from the actual show which is why it's also a bit longer than other chapters had been. I hope the excitement level is still up there. Please leave me some more reviews and let me know what you think or any suggestions you might have!


	11. Thick as Blood

Chapter 11: Thick as Blood

* * *

Piccolo floated high above the World Martial Arts tournament gazing over the stadium from end to end focusing his thoughts on locating any hints on Gohan's location. "I know he was close by… There has to be something… an energy trail or even maybe even remnants of a teleportation gate… something…" Piccolo focused harder.

It was proving difficult as the arena was filled with so many people… Millions of people crammed into such a small space and each one exuded some kind of spiritual pattern. Finding a diminished energy like the mask Gohan had over his power signature before he fought Trunks was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Piccolo grumbled in frustration, still determined not to give up when a sharp jab hit the back of his mind like a sledge hammer. Eyes widening he turned around and looked in the direction Goku and the Supreme Kai had flown off in. There in the midst of it all Gohan's energy just appeared from nowhere surrounded now by all the other negative energies which had revealed themselves within the last hour.

Piccolo grunted, "Figures…"

"Mister Piccolo!" a young voice called from below him.

Piccolo looked down and noticed both Goten and Trunks flying up to him, "Mister Piccolo! Trunks says that power over there with my dad is my brother! Is he right?"

Piccolo closed his eyes wondering how to respond to the energetic youth, "Yes, I believe it is…"

"And all those other powers around him are bad guys that want to hurt him and dad?" Goten bounced around excitedly in the air.

Deciding to work around the last remark, Piccolo narrowed his eyes into an expression full of authority, "I want you two to go find your mothers and stay close to them. This should all be over soon."

Trunks knew that tone very well; however Goten didn't seem to be having any of it, "NO WAY! If my family is in trouble over there then I'm going to help!" Goten stared the tall Namek down not giving in to the unsettling glare.

Piccolo sighed in defeat, "Alright, fine! But you're staying where I can keep an eye on you, got that?"

Goten turned to smile at Trunks, "Alright! We're going!"

Piccolo powered up and soared in that direction, Goten and Trunks not far behind.

Within Babidi's space ship, Goku stood spellbound staring at his son now only a few steps away, "Gohan…" he barely muttered out.

Gohan himself was doing his best not to get emotional, and smiled softly at his father "Dad…"

Finally overcoming the reverie of the moment, Goku made the strides over to his son and fell to his knees pulling Gohan tight against him, "Oh god, Gohan…" He ran his hand through his son's hair, tears streaming down his face.

The Supreme Kai assessed Gohan for a moment before asking bluntly, "That is the Gohan that Piccolo told me about? He's the one who was removed from the dimension?"

Vegeta scowled slightly at the Supreme Kai, "Hold your questions for a moment…" Always one to keep himself in check, Vegeta looked over to Goku holding his son again, "This is the first time Kakarot has seen his son in seven years. Give them some time in peace…" He turned and walked to the other side of the room.

A few tears finally broke from Gohan's eyes as his father literally sobbed into him. He was being held so tightly as if Goku were afraid he would disappear if he let go.

"I am so sorry Gohan… I am so so sorry…" Goku's voice was actually crackling under his unusual display of emotion.

Gohan hardly recognized this sensation coming off of his father. Here was the strongest man Gohan had ever known and he was on his knees having an emotional breakdown. Gohan held his father a little bit away from him so he could look into his face, "Dad? What on earth are you apologizing for?"

Goku looked into his son's eyes looking for the anger or spite he always feared he'd find someday in his son's gaze, "I let you down Gohan… I made you do something no father should ever have put their child through. And what's more it killed you… I got you killed… Oh Gohan… I am so sorry…"

Gohan shook his head and grabbed his father's face, "Oh dad no… No it wasn't you at all dad! I never blamed you for any of it! It was entirely my fault. If I had only done what you had told me to do and trained me to do from the beginning none of it would have happened. I'm the one who messed things up that day… and that's why I'm the one who had to fix it. I never meant for you to blame yourself about it…"

His emotional fit subsiding, Goku still remained locked onto his son, "I just had realized too late… that I hadn't been the best father to you Gohan… So many times I wasn't there for you… so many times I left you to face challenges on your own. Instead of just letting you be happy I got you involved in conflicts no child should have ever been a part of. Please forgive me son…"

Gohan pulled his dad closer to him again, "Dad… There's nothing that you need to be sorry about… I don't regret anything in my life… We all did what had to be done, and I'm fine with that! If anything… I'm the one who should be sorry for being away for so long… You're all so important to me, and I just disappeared on you all for years without even realizing it… I'm so sorry for that."

Goku's smile returned as he clenched the back of his son's shirt, "It's alright Gohan, you're here now, and I know everything is well with you… that's all that really matters."

Gohan's eyes shut and he smiled warmly along with his father, his head resting atop Goku's hair. He'd missed this feeling of peace his father always radiated around him. Goku finally stood and looked over his son appraisingly.

"Well… I'd say you've gotten a lot stronger! What have you been doing?" Goku could tell there was a tremendous energy well within Gohan, much deeper than it had been before.

Sensing the end of the tender moment, Vegeta and the Supreme Kai approached, "Isn't it obvious? He's been training!"

Chuckling, Gohan looked over to Vegeta, "I noticed you all have gotten a lot stronger too!"

Vegeta crossed his arms and smirked, "You didn't expect everyone to sit around lazing about the entire time you were gone did you?"

"From you guys? Never!" Gohan's smile began to fade as he looked down at the ship, "I wish we had the time to talk and catch up more… but right now we've got some serious trouble going on below us."

The Supreme Kai finally jumped in, "Just a moment, please tell me then, if you were completely removed from the dimension after death… would that possibly mean?"

Gohan assumed he knew what the Supreme Kai was about to ask, "Yes… I was recruited by the Sovereign Kai into his Sovereign Guards."

"The Sovereign Kai…?" The Supreme Kai asked astonished. "And now you're here… So this must mean… Yes! The Sovereign Kai understands the severity of our plight and has sent you to assist!"

Gohan's expression quirked as he looked confused at the Supreme Kai, "Your plight?"

"Yes! The threat of Majin Buu being awoken and destroying the universe! That is why you're here right?" The Kai asked ecstatically.

Gohan's expression only read additional confusion as he slowly shook his head, "I don't know anything about a Majin Buu…"

The Kai tilted his head as he regarded Gohan, "But then… why…?"

Further below in the ship Babidi continued to watch the happenings through his crystal ball. He growled as he knew he was working with precious little time, it wouldn't be long before their little scene ended and they resumed their attack. "There must be something I can use to stop them!"

"Your worrying is foolish," The echoing voice from the darkness told him.

"But master… they are so strong! I don't have any fighter capable of standing up against such powerful foes!" Babidi panicked hoping to not draw out any of his master's rage. "I need something capable of damaging them to draw out their power for Majin Buu!"

From the darkness a laugh began to build, slowly, but soon built up to a fully maniacal hysteria, "The Sovereign Guard has all the power you need to resurrect Majin Buu…"

"This may be true, but my most powerful warrior Dabura was defeated by him in only one attack!" Babidi explained while shaking.

The voice cackled again, "The answer is simple… use your power to make his own friends turn against him! He'll be unable to fight back due to his weak emotions, and all the damage he sustains will be fed directly to Buu."

Babidi looked at the warriors through his crystal ball, "But those two… one is pure of heart, and the other has only the scars of evil desire… not enough for me to affect my influence over."

The laugh in the darkness slowed, but remained confident, "Do you not feel it filling the room?"

"What?" Babidi couldn't help but feel confused which seemed to irritate the voice.

"I SAID LOOK! Their emotions, it bleeds from them… The guilt… The regret… these negative emotions are more than enough to reach in with the right kind of influence," the air became silent after the statement.

Babidi looked over the two, "But… I've never been able to use those emotions to conquer a person's mind before!"

A light in the darkness formed a beam of energy and impacted Babidi from behind. The energy formed some kind of link and Babidi's body began to rise into the air and glow with this new incredible power. His eyes turned completely red and shone brightly in the darkness as he held his hands over the crystal ball and shouted, "PAPARAPAPA!"

The Supreme Kai began to understand, "You mean… there's something else happening here as well?"

Gohan took a step closer to the Kai to try and explain, "The reason I'm here is because the Sovereign Kai sensed something foreign cross into this realm recen…" Before Gohan could finish, both Goku and Vegeta doubled over in pain. Gohan looked from one to the other in panic, "Dad! Vegeta! What's wrong?"

The two Saiyans stumbled across the room, clenching onto their heads tightly while screaming in agony. Gohan ran to his father's side and tried holding him still looking for any sign of attack which could be causing such pain.

The Supreme Kai watched the two saiyans in astonishment, unable to believe the underlying truth of what was happening here, "This can't be… It should be impossible."

Noticing the Supreme Kai sounded as if he knew something Gohan ran over to him, "What is it? What's going on? What's attacking them?" He demanded.

The Supreme Kai was still in shock from the situation, "It's Babidi… he's using his magic to conquer their minds much as he's done to his other minions. It shouldn't be possible to do on a person free of evil desire though!"

Shaking away the surprise of the circumstances the Kai ran closer to the two Saiyans, "Goku, Vegeta, listen to me! You must fight it! I know it's hard, and I know it's painful, but you mustn't give in! You are warriors of good and purity! Don't allow Babidi's corrupting ways to ensnare your minds!"

Goku sank to his hands and knees still screaming. Vegeta grabbed onto the wall for support with one hand still clutching his head tightly. The two began to glow an eerie red color.

"No…" Gohan watched in horror, "There has to be a way to stop this!" He shouted at the Kai.

"I'm so sorry Gohan… but this is a fight no one can assist with… a battle of the mind…" The Kai frowned.

Gohan began sparking with energy as a realization sank in, "If I blow this ship away it would stop Babidi's concentration and end his attack on them!" Gohan jumped into the air and power began forming in his downward pointed hands.

The Supreme Kai quickly moved in front of Gohan his arms spread wide in defense, "You can't! If your blast were to release Majin Buu he would destroy this entire planet in an instant!"

Gohan clenched his teeth trying not to let his emotions get the better of him, "Then come up with a better plan, FAST!"

The Kai looked down, his breathing coming in raggedly, sweat formed across his brow as he realized he didn't know what to do. Things were getting very bad very quickly… and he saw no plausible action to take.

The two noticed the screaming in the room had ceased. Looking over they saw Goku and Vegeta both kneeling on the ground panting heavily and both still encased within a radiating red glow.

Gohan took a few steps closer to them, "Dad?" his voice barely croaked out.

"Gohan don't!" The Kai warned.

Goku and Vegeta stood; their faces devoid of emotion and their eyes empty and lifeless. Gohan took a step back as the gaze from the two pierced right through him sending cold chills down his back, "What did he do to you…?"

The Kai gasped as he saw the "M" symbol of the Majin actually glowing on each of their foreheads. "This is different… this is far more potent and powerful than any spell I've ever seen a wizard conjure… what's going on…"

"PAPARAPAPA!" The chanting words echoed through the room and the walls began to fade as the scenery was changed once again. Gohan shielded his face from the bright light of suddenly being exposed outside and heard a series of gasps and voices.

The Supreme Kai's eyes widened as he saw they had been placed back at the World Martial Arts Tournament, the stands were still completely full, "Oh no…"

Gohan looked up to the top of the stadium and noticed Phips tossed his popcorn and gave Gohan a confused questioning look. Gohan just shrugged indicating things were not going well.

"Why did he send us here?" Gohan looked around at all the people.

The Kai grumbled in defeat, "This is Babidi's sadistic way… He felt this was the highest concentration of life force on the entire planet today. I'm sorry there's nothing I can do to stop this…"

"What are you talking about?" Gohan asked as his concern was intensifying by the second.

Chichi and Bulma stared down at the scene taking place before them, "What do you think is going on? First they just fly off leaving the tournament and ruin their chances of finally beating that crackpot Mister Satan, and then even more mysteriously they just appear in the middle of the arena!" Bulma shook her fist angrily.

Chichi looked down towards the arena taking notice of the strange red glow around Goku and Vegeta, "I don't know what's going on Bulma… but… something isn't right… Look at them… it's like they're not themselves."

Bulma's expression softened as she focused more on the two Saiyans also and nodded, "I think you're right… this is all too weird… And who are those other guys with them?"

Chichi squinted her eyes only seeing the backs of Gohan and the Supreme Kai. She felt a strange longing feeling for some reason but couldn't place why, "They don't really look familiar…"

Master Roshi's gaze darkened as he gazed over the scene. He fell quieter than normal as he thought to himself, "Looks like I was right, Gohan really is back… but I have a bad feeling about this energy Goku is giving off…" Master Roshi closed his eyes behind his sun glasses and tried to feel the energy out, "It reeks of death…"

The two women looked oddly at him only hearing his last verbal comment.

The announcer of the tournament who stood by Mister Satan finally overcame the fright of the group of fighters appearing in the middle of the ring out of nowhere, "I'm sorry guys, but the tournament is over, better luck next year?" Noticing the angry dark looks from both Goku and Vegeta, the man gulped and backed away quickly.

Babidi's voice began to echo over the stadium, "These two are quite the catch! So much knowledge, so much _power_! Now then Sovereign Guardian, you will fight them."

Gohan shook his head, "I refuse… you can't make me fight the people I care about!"

"Oh no…?" Goku and Vegeta looked down at the ground absently and began to power up. In a flash of gold they powered up to Super Saiyans and floated several feet above the arena. Energy began to gather in their hands as they pointed them in Gohan's direction.

"I won't fight them…" Gohan stood his ground.

"Such a pity… Then these lives are all on your hands…" Babidi's telepathic voice snickered sadistically.

Gohan's eyes widened in fear, "What…?"

"Attention denizens of earth!" Bobbidi shouted to the people of the stadium through his telepathic voice, "The new era of Majin Buu is come! It is useless to resist the incredible power of the coming torrent. My heralds wish to deliver a message to those who would stand in the way of Majin Buu!"

Gohan watched in horror and shock as both Goku and Vegeta moved their aim from Gohan to the people in the stadium, "NO YOU CAN'T! DON'T MAKE THEM DO THAT! DAD, VEGETA, PLEASE STOOOOP!"

"They can't hear you boy!" Gohan watched in disbelief as the energy blasts left the Saiyan's hands and flew toward the grand stands in opposing directions. Millions of people watched in horror as the energy approached and tore through the stadium with ease, incinerating all the spectators unfortunate enough to be caught in their paths.

Gohan trembled as his hair threatened to spike with his power. "You didn't… How could you make them do such a thing…? HOW COULD YOU?" Gohan stared up at the sky breathing through his teeth.

"That was only half the stadium. The other half would make a great addition to the list of contributors. That is unless you've changed your mind and decided to fight?" Babidi laughed at the boy's plight.

Gohan clenched his eyes and fists shut tight, "I'll do it! Just move us away from here!"

"Gohan…" The Supreme Kai felt the pain radiating from the boy being forced to give in to such a demand.

Inside his ship Babidi laughed hysterically that his plan had worked perfectly! "Now where to send them…"

Gohan took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He looked up and noticed Phips still watching the events. Gohan made eye contact with the imp to get his attention; he knew he didn't have much time left...

The Supreme Kai noticed Gohan was whispering something while looking up in the air, but it was too soft and there was too much noise for him to tell what it was.

"PAPARAPAPA!" as mysteriously as the strange group of fighters appeared in the tournament they all vanished.

Phips looked down at the spot Gohan had just been standing, "AND HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THAT?" he yelled before disappearing in a flash of light and a loud pop.

* * *

End Chapter


	12. Still and Silent

**Alert!**

Before I get the chapter started I just thought I'd take the time to make a little note here. About a week ago I received an email from the author metalgearhunter letting me know he wanted to write a spinoff to ZAT:Immortal. This is we're on and I have to say that I felt really honored that someone would want to write a fanfic of my fanfic! If you get a chance, check it out and keep an open mind. I'll give him this, his story is very energetic and as long as you don't take it too seriously it's fun to read. You can find it at: (.net/s/5072448/1/ZAT_The_Immortal_Saiyan_The_Dawn_of_Skriker)

In the series of ZAT I'm writing, basically I'm the one who opened up the can of infinite possibilities so even if Hunter's story isn't canon with mine, I may well sneak some bits in later down the road. I also wanted to use this time to say that if anyone ever has any other story ideas for ZAT don't hesitate to tell me about them! The first arc, "The Immortal Saiyan", still has about 19 chapters in the works which is more than long enough to put in some cool changes, plus the entire story concept is comprised of three major arcs. For the last story arc I am going to need alternate DBZ stories to volunteer to cross into myself. (If anyone wants to start volunteering their stories feel free to, it's just going to be a LONG time before I get to that point…) Anyone else who may wish to write a parallel spinoff to ZAT I fully welcome to. Just please let me know so I can be sure to make a note of it!

OK that's it! We return you now to our regularly scheduled program.

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Chapter 12: Still and SIlent

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Goten and Trunks stopped abruptly in mid-flight as they turned and looked back in the direction of the tournament, "Now everyone's over there? How do they keep moving like that?"

Piccolo sensed in that direction and immediately felt something amiss. Both Goku's and Vegeta's power felt different… tainted…

All three became aware of the buildup of power emanating from the same location. The moment it was gone the entire area felt dimmer. Piccolo couldn't help but gasp as he realized what that meant coming from the tournament grounds.

Goten and Trunks just looked confused, "That's weird… why does it feel like there's a lot less power over there all of a sudden?" Trunks scratched his head.

"I don't know Trunks, but it was kind of weird the way it all just disappeared like that…" Goten too stared in that direction.

The power they were all detecting from their fathers vanished and moved once again to the other side of the planet.

Piccolo grunted hoarsely getting the boys' attention, "We need to get to the bottom of this fast! The answers are still this way! Let's go!" Piccolo flew off again at full speed. Though he didn't show it in front of the boys, an incredible sense of dread had just struck his very core.

Homing in on the location everyone had originally headed in, Piccolo sensed Krillin and Yamcha's energy pattern still close by. Descending from the air, Piccolo landed by the two of them as they just stared at each other looking somewhat dumbstruck.

"Alright what's going on? I need answers, NOW!" Piccolo demanded as he faced the two humans.

Krillin and Yamcha panicked under Piccolo's daunting presence, "Hold on a second Piccolo! We're not all too sure what just happened… One minute we were standing alongside Goku and the others and the next some red demon looking guy came out, spit on us, and turned into statues!" Krillin explained quickly.

Piccolo's expression quirked into a doubtful stare, "You were turned into statues?"

Yamcha grimaced at Piccolo's disbelieving expression, "It's the truth Piccolo, I've got the stains to prove it! We just spent the last hour out here being target practice for pigeons!"

Tired of wasting time Piccolo decided to just go along with it, "Alright you were turned into statues, what were you doing here in the first place?"

Krillin and Yamcha looked at each other and then back to Piccolo, "We were following the Supreme Kai and Goku. The Supreme Kai said he was going to need help to stop some wizard named Babidi who was trying to bring a monster called Majin Buu back to life."

Goten and Trunks looked at each other excitedly, "You hear that Trunks? He said they're after a wizard!"

"Oh yeah! This is awesome!" Trunks replied.

Piccolo grit his teeth and looked down to the clearing beyond the mountain taking notice of the entrance to the ship sticking above the loose sand, "So it that where this Babidi is hiding?"

"Yeah, I think so… That's where the guy who spit on us came from…" Yamcha crossed his arms and looked down at the ship as well, "The Supreme Kai said Babidi has powerful magic that he uses as some kind of mind control on strong evil fighters."

"Does it only work on evil fighters?" Piccolo asked darkly.

Krillin and Yamcha looked at each other incredulously, "That's all the Supreme Kai mentioned…" Yamcha scratched is head.

Krillin looked worriedly at Piccolo, "Why? What's going on Piccolo?"

Piccolo leaned a little closer to Krillin, he didn't want the boys to hear him and possibly throw them into a panic over their families, so he whispered, "Half of the spectators at the World Martial Arts Tournament were just killed a moment ago."

Krillin's eyes went wide and he took in a slight gasp at hearing the news, "But who would…"

"Krillin," Piccolo sounded stern, "I think it was Goku and Vegeta who did it…"

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Krillin yelled causing everyone to look strangely at them until Piccolo sealed his mouth tight.

"Damn it Krillin, shut up!" Piccolo quieted down once he calmed Krillin sufficiently, "That's why I need to know what this wizard is capable of. Their powers felt different… and if what the Kai mentioned is true, then it's possible that this wizard has control over them."

"Oh that's not fair at all…" Krillin mused over silently, "Goku and Vegeta could easily wipe us all out if they're under Babidi's control…"

"We don't need to worry about that right now…" Piccolo's gaze stoned over as he spoke trying to keep his emotions hidden.

"Why not?" Krillin was worried; he knew he stood no chance against the two saiyans.

Piccolo scowled "Because right now their attention is focused all on Gohan…"

"Oh… that's rough… Okay… What are we going to do?" Krillin asked composing himself quickly.

Standing up straight, Piccolo addressed the entire group, "Our job is to get inside that ship, find that wizard, and put a stop to whatever manipulation control he's using!"

"Yeah! Let's do it!" A voice from behind them shouted.

Turning around startled, Piccolo yelled, "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"

Gohan watched as his surroundings continued to spin. He wondered where exactly the wizard was going to place them. As long as it was deserted he didn't really care. Goku and Vegeta continued to stare at him with completely void eyes. He sighed hoping things wouldn't be dragged out for very long.

"PAPARAPAPA!" The wizard's mental voice shouted over them and the world stilled.

The sun was still up in the sky, and a light breeze flew over the clearing they found themselves in. Gohan took a look around and noticed how flat this whole area appeared to be. A little ways off were a few cliff like plateaus overlooking the dusty field. The only item of interest in the area was a statue in the middle of the area. Gohan almost didn't pay any mind to it until he noticed it looked familiar. The statue stood on a tall marble pedestal with a large golden plaque. The statue itself was of the acclaimed Mister Hercule Satan, standing atop the fallen form of Cell striking a pose of victory.

Eyes widening Gohan turned around and looked back at the cliff sides surrounding their arena. Immediately the images of his friends standing atop those very same cliffs flooded into his mind. That is where they had stood the last time he had seen them all those years ago…

"Why here…?" Gohan spoke softly. The Kai was unfamiliar with the location and only looked over at Gohan confused.

A sinister laugh filled the air, "What do you think of the setting I've selected for this battle Sovereign? Or should I say, Son Gohan?" a snicker resounded from every direction, "After peering into the minds of my new minions I found this to be the very site you perished at! How does it feel to be here again; standing atop your own grave, knowing the dust and ashes blowing across this land are all that remains of your once living self? How fitting a place to meet your permanent end!"

Gohan looked around and saw the ghosts in his memories lingering from the last time he stood on these grounds. All the people he cared about were being beaten by the Cell Juniors, and Cell himself had stood just a little ways away from where he was now… mocking him. Even after he proved to be more than a match for the evil tyrant, Cell still managed to pull one last trump card.

It was just above this place where Gohan had encased the power bloated Cell and ignited him to save the earth. It had hurt… It had hurt so much… He usually blocked out the memories of the moment of his death pretty well… but standing here did bring those memories back. The pain and the knowledge that he wouldn't survive…

The Kai looked infuriated that Babidi would use such heartless tactics. He was about to shout something to the sky when Gohan's arms simply folded across his chest, "Don't think this puts me at a mental disadvantage Babidi! I got over my own death a long time ago! It was a choice I made to save everyone, and is a choice I'd make again a million times over if I had to."

"Oh the strong front, but then again, you actually think you have the advantage don't you? Your father felt it… you are a strong one yes, but your father had a surprise he wanted you to see... You don't think he'd mind if I showed you would he?" The wizard's hollow snicker resounded through the empty plateau.

Gohan looked over to Goku and Vegeta again, "What?"

The two saiyans began powering up, yelling as their golden hair flashed brighter and the spikes pointed up at straighter angles.

"Level two… wow both of you…" Gohan gave a sad smile as he sensed the power both of them were giving off.

"I'm afraid it doesn't end there!" Babidi shouted as Goku and Vegeta powered up further. The ground began to quake violently and their auras exploded with power. Gohan shielded his face watching mystified as both Saiyan's hair began to grow longer, and their facial features became more pronounced and jagged.

Eyes widening and mouth slightly agape, Gohan couldn't help but mutter, "Oh… crap…" He lowered his arms as he watched as the two long haired golden idols began to float ominously in the sky, "Level three…"

The Supreme Kai fell to the ground and quickly crawled away, his mouth quivered from the amount of power the two saiyans were giving off, "This is unreal… How is it possible that they can be that powerful?"

A shrill voice then screamed through the area, "Now my warriors… KILL THE SUPREME KAI AND THE SOVEREIGN GUARD!"

Gohan turned quickly and pointed his palm toward the Supreme Kai. His hand began to glow bright green as the Kai was encased in some kind of energy bubble, "What are you…" The bubble with the Kai in it completely vanished.

Gohan turned around to face the challenge without further distraction, but his sight was immediately greeted by a blue knee striking his face. Gohan fell back, but quickly pushed himself off the ground and began to power up, "Just enough to defend against them…" Gohan's hair flashed into a golden color and then spiked up high as he entered his second level transformation.

Goku and Vegeta were on him in an instant, Vegeta kicked from the left and Goku punched from the right. Gohan blocked both attacks with his arms, once the attacks made contact the motions entered super speed creating a speeding blur of attacks and blocks. Both Goku and Vegeta attacked Gohan relentlessly from either side but Gohan moved his defenses quickly enough to block most of the attacks.

Vegeta dropped from the fray and Gohan tried to keep track of him, but Goku slammed his fist critically into Gohan's jaw. Gohan swung around from the force of the blow bringing his leg up in the air ready to use the momentum of the attack to counter but completely stopped himself with his foot mere millimeters away from Goku's head. Goku wasted no time in grabbing Gohan by the ankle, ramming a fist into the boy's stomach and launching him up into the sky.

Gohan flared his ki to end his assent and took a deep breath. He couldn't bring himself to attack his dad while he was under the control of another… He had to keep up his defense.

As Gohan stalled a bit longer he realized he had lost track of Vegeta, "BIG BANG ATTACK!" He heard from behind. He turned around in time to see the brilliant orb just in front of him. He put his hands out in front to catch the attack and slid across the sky dragging it to a stop. Gohan was regaining control when Goku flew up from behind and swung his knee into the back of Gohan's head. His head impacted the energy ball and caused it to explode. The light radiated through the atmosphere and sent a shockwave of dust and debris miles in every direction.

The light cleared and Gohan found himself in a defensive posture slightly buried in the displaced earth. He had barely managed a defense before the brunt of the attack exploded.

Up in the sky, Goku clasped his hands at his side and started shouting, "KA ME HA ME!"

Gohan's eyes widened realizing an energy wave with that much power could destroy the earth if he dodged out of its way.

"HAAA!" The energy began its rapid decent towards him.

Gohan's stance widened and he powered up a little further, "ENERGY SHIELD!" A bubble of energy formed around his body which Goku's Kamehameha Wave impacted with a thunderous roar. Gohan put his hands together and fortified the spot Goku's beam was trying to break through at.

"Gallet Gun!" Gohan heard from the other side as Vegeta's signature attack approached. Holding out a hand to the other side of the shield, Gohan began focusing his energy throughout his entire defense. The power beam hit and Gohan immediately felt the strain. They were both a lot more powerful than he had expected them to be.

Gohan used his energy to reach into the opposing beams and started manipulating their paths like a magnet. He slowly levitated into the air, pulling Goku and Vegeta's attacks with him. The two full blooded saiyans began pumping more energy into their attacks, squeezing Gohan's shield in the middle. Gohan grunted in effort pulling the two attacks directly in the center between the two warriors.

Once he had positioned the energy where he wanted it, Gohan put two fingers to his head and disappeared. The energy waves tore through the shield without him to sustain it and impacted each other creating another huge explosion rocking the area once again. Gohan appeared just out of range of the blast however wasn't expecting Goku to follow him through the Instant Transmission and materialize with a knee embedded in Gohan's ribs. Before he could fly back from the attack Vegeta soared across the sky faster than a bolt of lightning and landed both knees on Gohan's back, crushing him against Goku's still embedded kick.

Gohan felt a crack inside his chest as he was compressed between the two saiyans. His eyes widened and he felt the blood rushing out of his mouth. The two separated from their prey and Gohan began to slowly fall when a boot to the head from Vegeta sent him directly to the ground with an earth shattering impact.

The two saiyans scanned the hole in the ground for any signs of the emergence of the blue clad boy. Gohan dislodged himself from the rock deep under the ground and gripped his chest tightly while gasping for air, "Man… I think they just broke a few ribs… What's taking so long…?" Light began filtering in from the hole above him and he realized another attack was imminent to strike.

Stabilizing his footing, Gohan put two hands to his forehead and charged his energy, "MASENKO!" He countered the energy attacks, blowing his hiding spot wide open, and caused the approaching energy beams to dissipate within his own short range burst. The intense short range blast left a glassy surface over the rocks and sand surrounding Gohan.

Now exposed, Gohan jumped back out into the air while trying to decide the best distance to keep from the two possessed saiyans. If he was too close they'd pummel him with brutal physical attacks, but if he kept too much distance they would blast him with attacks that could very easily damage the entire planet.

Gohan didn't have much time to think things through as Goku and Vegeta circled him again. He took a deep breath trying to remain focused, but the battle tactics changed so quickly he was having a hard time keeping up with the two.

Goku put two fingers against his head and disappeared. Gohan turned quickly trying to anticipate where he went, but Vegeta charged in to melee at the same moment. Gohan was barely able to block the attacks from the mighty saiyan prince. Vegeta's attacks were well thought out and vicious. Vegeta finally managed to land a blow across the left side of Gohan's face, but when he brought a knee up to continue the attack Gohan set both hands on top of Vegeta's leg, gripping him tightly, and flipped in the air to toss the warrior away from him.

Vegeta was soaring away uncontrollably when Goku appeared at Gohan's side after another teleport. Gohan had no time to react as he noticed Goku had a fully charged Kamehameha beam in his hands and released it at extremely close range, "HAAAAAA!" The energy ripped through Gohan and lifted him through the air. He felt the attack lifting him to the upper levels of the atmosphere when he finally managed to roll off of the beam.

Gohan was now burned and aching all over. He sighed knowing he had to do better than this… "That's enough… I've got no choice now… I'm sorry…"

Golden flames began building around Gohan as he charged his energy. His aura began to feed shockwaves of air through the planet's upper atmosphere as began his rapid descent.

Goku saw the brilliant glow approaching and dropped into a ready stance. Gohan was only a moment away from impact when he disappeared. Vegeta had been off to the side preparing another surprise attack when Gohan appeared in front of him and landed a fierce blow to the stomach. The resounding clang of the impact echoed for miles across the valley encasing their battle. Vegeta's eyes narrowed as his pain receptors took in the shock.

Gohan kicked Vegeta away delivered several more solid blows before turning around and firing an energy wave in the other direction. Goku saw the energy wave launch as he approached and put two fingers to his head to use Instant Transmission to dodge out of the way. As Goku teleported, Gohan met him in the midst of their dematerialized forms and landed an attack knocking him back out the other side of his teleportation gate where the first energy wave Gohan launched still impacted him.

Both saiyans seemed to recover quickly from the attacks and returned to battle together. Gohan saw their approach and summoned up more of his energy, "SUPER KAIOKEN!" Red began to swirl among the gold of his aura and as Goku and Vegeta landed their attacks the sky filled with an incredible static field darkening the sky to black. The three were still for only a fraction of a split second before bursting into unfathomable speed untraceable by eye sight. They dealt fierce blows to one another, the impact of each attack produced large enough shockwaves to crumble nearby mountains.

Goku was knocked back by a powerful strike, and Gohan continued the pursuit. He positioned himself under Goku quickly enough to kick him up into the air then had to turn fast enough to block Vegeta's punch. Gohan flared his ki to knock Vegeta back away from him and quickly gathered energy into his hands and blasted the saiyan prince to the ground.

Gohan was dealing with an incredible mental struggle. He knew he needed to use enough power to knock them out, but he continued to pull his punches not wanting to seriously hurt either of them.

Vegeta stood again and glared at the demi-saiyan in the air. Gohan prepared for the next chain of attacks when he felt Goku's power upon him again. He tried to turn around to face his father, but a boot side swiped his head and sent him reeling away. He didn't make it far before Vegeta intercepted and kicked him back the other way. Goku responded in kind with other kick. Gohan was being bounced between the two of them like some kind of sports ball. His vision was beginning to blur when he shook himself out of the attack and spread his arms out, pointing a hand out at each of them, "HAAAA!" He shouted as he released an energy attack in both direction and swept the two older saiyans away.

Gohan tried to catch his breath as blood from a gash on his forehead seeped into his eye. He could feel his body starting to protest his movements, but he had to hold out just a bit longer… "Come on Phips… you've gotta do it…"

In the depths of Babidi's space ship, the evil wizard watched his crystal ball and laughed in maniacal amusement, "Yes, YES! They have him on the ropes now! And Buu is almost at full power! How wonderful!" he watched as Goku and Vegeta pummeled Gohan between them.

"That's it, hit him that way! Now uppercut! Land that kick in his throat damn it!" Babidi ordered the two using his powers through the crystal ball.

A strong power entered Babidi's perception range causing him to look up suddenly, "SPECIAL BEAM CANNON MAKANKOSAPPO!"

Babidi screamed as the cork screw beam tore through his room and hit his crystal ball, shattering the magical talisman into millions of tiny particles of dust, "NOOO!"

Gohan was being crushed between Goku and Vegeta's knees again, his hands were outstretched towards Goku's face ready to blast his father away from him when the red glow around the two saiyans faded away.

Goku's eyes widened as he saw Gohan's hands only millimeters from his nose and glowing with power. He then noticed his own knee was buried in his son's stomach. "Oh god… Gohan!"

Gohan began to calm as he felt the taint of energy leave the two of them. They separated and he fell to his knees panting. "He did it! Oh that was close…"

Goku and Vegeta powered down from their super saiyan states, both feeling sore and tired. Goku kneeled by his son and wrapped his arms around him, beginning to understand what must have happened. "Gohan, I'm sorry! There was nothing, it was like I wasn't seeing or feeling anything since we were in the ship together."

Vegeta looked down at his hands and nodded, agreeing with Goku's statement. It had been as if he was trapped in a dark prison within his own mind.

Gohan laughed, "It wasn't you dad, you had nothing to do with what just happened." Gohan's hair became black again also as he pushed himself up to his feet. He was so happy that it was over before he really hurt either of them.

"Curse that wizard and his tricks!" Vegeta grumbled, "We need to get back there now and put an end to this once and for all!"

Gohan nodded, "Here, eat this…" Gohan reached into his pocket and pulled out a panacea cracker, "Shoot I've only got one left…" Gohan tore it into three pieces, "It'll have to do…"

"What is it?" Goku asked as he stuffed the cracker in his mouth, "It tastes pretty good!"

"I broke it into three parts, but it should still basically have similar effects to a senzu bean, just give it a second." Gohan explained. Within a moment most of their wounds had healed.

Goku noticed right away Gohan hadn't been fully healed by the portion he kept for himself, "You really should have used it heal yourself son."

Gohan smiled at his father's concern, "No way, I still have plenty of fight left, and besides I'm definitely going to need both your help." Gohan started powering up again, "It's time we fought back… Come on, let's do it!"

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End Chapter

And more action is yet to come! I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to review so far, and I hope to get some more reviews also! Leave me comments, suggestions, or just drop a line and say hi! I love them all! See you all next week!


	13. Ramparts Break

Hey everyone! I'm terribly sorry for not posting a chapter last Friday. Especially after I told a lot of people I would be… I made mention of this in my profile on Monday but I wanted to formally apologize here also. As I had mentioned two weeks ago I was vacationing in Seattle, WA last weekend, and it turned out the hotel I was staying in did not offer complimentary wifi. Now perhaps I just expect too much… but I have not stayed in a hotel in the last four years which did not offer free wifi to their guests. And in a place like Seattle… home of the coffee shops that invented free hotspots… You'd think the hotels would all have wifi! But nope, The Edgewater Hotel in Seattle charges $30.00 extra to your bill to grant you wifi access… That's almost as much as I pay for my Internet in a whole month! I'm sorry for being stingy, but I already had lots of other expenses incurred in the trip lol! I probably could have trekked over to a coffee shop and used their internet, but as I didn't have a vehicle, I really didn't feel comfortable dragging my laptop with me all across town. By the time I got home and unpacked on Monday evening I figured it would be better just to make last Friday's update this Friday's update and move on from here. Sorry again and hopefully we'll stay clear of delays in the future!

Thanks a lot for continuing to read the story, and I hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 13: Ramparts Break

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Babidi watched as the room clouded over with the dusty remains of his crystal ball. "No… NOOO!" He could feel the control he held over his saiyan minions slipping.

"Who dares intrude on my domain?" Babidi screamed as he wondered how anyone could have entered his ship without triggering any of the alarms. With a glow of the eyes Babidi activated the alarm to summon his guards.

The shards of crystal dust created a mist in the room making visibility slim. Babidi immediately ran to the egg encasement of Majin Buu and looked towards the power gauge, "So close… so close it reads full… Just the tiniest bit more would have done it…"

"Too bad for you, you won't be stealing anymore energy today," turning quickly at the sound of a new voice, Babidi noticed the large shoulder pads of a powerful namek approaching him through the mist.

Babidi shook in terror and fell back, "GUARDS!"

Finally having arrived at their master's sound of the alarm, the blast doors to the lower chamber opened and dozens of Babidi's warriors flooded into the room. The guards noticed Piccolo immediately and charged toward the tall namek until a loud childish cry of "NOW!" filled the room and the guard in front took a fierce blow to the face as Goten swung down from the ceiling with his knee extended forward. Trunks was right behind his best friend and knocked another guard out with an elbow to the back of the neck.

With the dust clearing Babidi finally noticed there were several intruders in his control center. His minions ran in from all directions but were intercepted by two children on one end, and two humans on the other. The green namekian was also still near, glaring menacingly at him.

"WOLF FANG FIST!" Yamcha shouted as his fists gave off a bright blue glow with the essence of the wolf as he tore through Babidi's guards. Krillin punched and kicked his way through several of them at once sending them to the ground by Babidi's feet.

"Give up," Piccolo stated dryly causing Babidi to jump back with a sharp squeal of fright.

Babidi stared over to the darker corner of the room for a moment but there was nothing. Gritting his teeth in anger Babidi quickly conjured a spell. Piccolo was unaware of what the wizard was capable of, so when the room began to swirl and he found himself outside he couldn't help but curse himself under his breath.

Once the room shifted, Babidi had placed himself and the egg of Buu a good distance away from the fighting. He glanced over the fallen forms of many of his guards and held his hands over high over his head, "PAPARAPAPA!" he shouted as he and many of his minions began to glow a sinister red.

"AHHHH!" Goten shouted as one of the fighters he just knocked out began to glow and then sat back up like a zombie. The eerie red glow surrounded the creature and its movements became more mechanical than they had been before. The glow of energy made it obvious these fighters were much more powerful than they had been moments before.

The one close to Goten pulled back a fist and swung in the small boy's direction. The fist collided with Piccolo's palm. The large namekian squeezed the hand, crushing it in his grip, and hurled the alien up into the sky before pushing energy down his arm, "Destructive Wave!" He shouted as he unleashed the energy completely disintegrating the alien.

"Thanks Mister Piccolo!" Goten said with a smile.

Piccolo intensely scowled at Goten and Trunks, "Take this seriously! Power up!" he ordered.

"Right!" Trunks and Goten held their hands to their sides and their hair flashed gold as they transformed to carry on the fight.

Krillin jittered as he found himself surrounded by the glowing foes, "Oh boy…" They were ready to tackle him when jumped into the air, "Going up!" He floated a few feet into the air and gathered energy at his side, "KAMEHAMEHA!" he fired the beam taking out the group of them.

"SPIRIT BALL SOKIDAN!" Yamcha concentrated large amounts of energy to his hand and formed a great ball of ki which he skillfully controlled and crashed it into one fighter then another, and another.

Babidi jumped up and down in a tantrum as his powered up fighters were still losing horribly. They hadn't procured any more energy at all for Majin Buu. He prepared to intervene further and began chanting a spell. "PAPARAPAPAAA!" He shouted as waves of magic expelled from his scrawny extended fingertips toward the battlefield. A tear in space opened and pulled his magic inside. "WHAT?"

"Schools call stuff like that cheating!" Babidi turned and saw the imp of similar stature to his own.

Taking in the dark blue robes the imp was wearing Babidi was immediately able to reach the conclusion, "Another Sovereign Guard!"

"Fifty percent is still a failing grade!" Phips used his powers to alter the landscape and pin Babidi underneath several spears of rock.

"Yeah now this is fun!" Trunks held Goten's arms and spun him into several of the remaining fighters. Goten's feet hit the ground as he used the leverage to swing Trunks around to kick the possessed warriors on the other side.

Babidi's minions piled in the center of the Z-Fighters and Piccolo looked across the mountain side and noticed the imp who had teleported them into Babidi's ship appeared to have taken care of the wizard.

"Looks like we got everything all under control!" Yamcha and Krillin high fived each other.

"We showed them not to mess with earth!" Krillin put a foot on top of one of the defeated bodies, "It's a shame no one's got a camera, It's not often the group of us take down a major threat anymore! Not that I don't appreciate Goku and Vegeta taking care of most problems," Krillin chuckled.

Piccolo "Hmphed" to himself as he regarded the remark. His sensitive namekian hearing caught a slight ruffling noise causing him to slowly turn around. "KRILLIN LOOK OUT!" He shouted.

Piccolo's warning only caused Krillin to turn around as a fist from one of Babidi's reawakened minions collided with Krillin's face, "OOAAFF!"

Goten and Trunks were on the alien in a split second, a foot from each of them crashing on either side of the alien's skull, knocking it out for good.

"Are you OK Krillin?" Trunks asked.

"That really smarts!" Krillin rubbed the sore spot on his face when a strong tremble and geyser like whistle began to fill the entire area. Everyone covered their ears from horrible screeching sound as the sky turned completely black and radical sparks of pink lightning began striking all across the planet.

"THAT'S IT! That's all it needed!" Babidi stared through his stone prison, "MAJIN BUU IS AT FULL POWER!"

"KRILLIN!" Everyone yelled angrily as Krillin's energy pushed Majin Buu to full power.

"What? How was I supposed to know that me getting punched in the face would cause this?" Krillin tried to defend himself.

The egg began to glow brightly as massive amounts of smoke were pumped into the sky from its base. A line formed across the gooey shell as it cracked open and a great beam of energy shot from the egg impacting the smoke in the air.

The Z-Fighters watched horrified as an immense power came to life and filled their senses. The smoke in the air began to constrict and take shape. The form solidified into a bloated humanoid form, and an echoing cry of "BUU!" resounded for miles across the land as the release was completed.

The obese monstrosity touched down on the ground and overlooked the area before it. An expression of childish glee covered its face as it looked from warrior to warrior surrounding him.

"Oh man… that is not good… oh man oh man oh man!" Krillin could feel the incredible power of this creature and had never felt so terrified before.

"What's up?" Trunks asked looking over Buu, "He looks kind of stupid if you ask me."

"SHHH, TRUNKS!" Piccolo barked to the young boy, "You have no idea what you're talking about… He's incredibly powerful…" A drop of sweat escaped from under Piccolo's turban as he tried to get a better feel of Buu's energy.

"MAJIN BUU!" Babidi shouted getting the pink creature's attention, "I am Babidi, the son of your creator Bibidi, and your new master! I command you to destroy all those who oppose me!"

Through squinting eyes Buu looked across the battle field once again, "Mmmm, OKAY!" he answered in a childish voice.

Piccolo's eyes widened at the simple response; just like that this creature would kill them all? Buu crouched into a ready position and leapt into battle at a speed that belied his size. Buu flew toward Yamcha and came to a complete stop directly in front of the desert bandit.

Getting over the shock of Buu's power, Yamcha punched forward as hard as he could. Rather than recoiling from the blow, Yamcha's fist was absorbed into Buu's stomach all the way up to his elbow causing no damage to Buu's gummy state, "Ewww!"

Buu pulled a fist back and punched Yamcha in the face sending him flying across the clearing into a mountain which shattered upon the collision with Yamcha's body.

"AHHHH!" Krillin, Goten, and Trunks stared in terrified awe in the direction their friend had been punched in.

Buu's face slowly turned from Yamcha's prone form to find his next target. He grinned large and toothy as his gaze fell upon Goten. Buu flew toward the young super saiyan with even more phenomenal speed than before.

Goten stared in terror caught in the path of a locomotive as Buu threatened to run him over. A pink spark of energy built in Buu's gloved hand which he pulled back and prepared to punch Goten with.

"MAKANKOSAPPO!" A cork screw beam shot through the air and completely tore through Majin Buu's body leaving a huge gaping hole. Buu stopped and glared at Piccolo who had fired the beam. Piccolo hadn't moved, still trying to gauge how he had been able to tear through Buu's body so easily.

"NOOO!" Babidi shouted gazing over his wounded creature.

Buu's face scrunched up and with a wet smacking pop the hole in Buu's body filled back in and he appeared perfectly fine. "WHAT?" Piccolo was taken by surprise by the speed at which Buu was able to recover and launch a counter attack.

Piccolo barely managed to get an arm up in time to block Buu's punch as it hit. Piccolo grunted upon impact but held his own. Buu noticed his punch had been blocked and proceeded to kick Piccolo across the head.

"Piccolo!" Goten and trunks shouted as they saw Piccolo flung across the field.

Krillin ran through the clearing and jumped high into the air to join the fight as well, "Take this you monster! Destructo Disk!" The buzz saw of energy collected above Krillin's hand and he threw a series of three disks at the bloated creature.

Majin Buu did not even try to dodge and all three disks made their mark, slicing Buu into four segments of his head, upper body, torso, and legs. Krillin's eyes widened as he saw Buu's body pieces flop to the ground.

Piccolo was pushing himself back up and looked over Buu's body, "No… His essence… it isn't affected at all…"

Buu's severed head frowned, "Me no like you! Me gonna eat you!"

"AHHH!" Krillin screamed not expecting the head to speak.

Majin Buu's legs began to float and swiftly flew over to Krillin and started kicking him from random directions. Krillin was taking a beating already when the upper body segment joined in the fight and started punching at him as well.

"Krillin!" Trunks yelled and dashed over to help.

"Trunks watch out!" Goten warned his friend as Buu's stomach flopped over to Trunks and tackled him.

Buu's head took flight next, "Me gonna turn you all into chocolate!" The antenna atop Buu's head began to glow and a bolt of energy was emitted toward Krillin.

Krillin covered his face to try and block the beam when the energy collided with some other force and vanished. On the hill side, Phips stood with his arms still extended in Krillin's direction, "Watch out for that beam! It doesn't attack you directly; it rearranges your molecules into new patterns! The last thing you want is end up as someone's dirty laundry!" Krillin took another kick to the head and was just about knocked out by the time Phips finished, "Never mind, it's probably not that important anymore…"

Buu's pieces gathered together and reattached in the air, "BUU ANGRY!"

"Hey Buu!" Piccolo shouted getting the creature's attention. Piccolo threw his turban to the side and lifted his cape off his shoulders chucking it as well, "Let's see what you've got!" Piccolo grunted loudly as he began to power up. A purple energy began to swirl around Piccolo with such force Goten and Trunks had to struggle to remain standing.

From the ground, Krillin opened an eye and stared at Piccolo, "So that's the legendary power of the first Namek of earth… Piccolo finally has all that power under his control…"

"Uuuuu…" Buu watched as Piccolo powered up and prepared himself by stomping his feet.

Piccolo grunted loudly and disappeared from sight appearing immediately with his elbow embedded in Buu's gut. Buu's eyes actually opened from the shock of the impact and saw Piccolo's foot as he was kicked in the head and sent rolling away. Piccolo continued to pursue the pink blob in an unrelenting attack.

Babidi saw Majin Buu having difficulty with the namek and forced himself free from the stones restraining him. Hoping he could charge Majin Buu futher, Babidi held out his hands and chanted, "PAPARAPA…" before Babidi finished a large mirror shot out from the ground directly in front of him.

"Huh?" Babidi stared as his reflection in confusion as his image began to grow slightly and change hue until Phips jumped out from the mirror.

"Oh well it was worth a shot…" Phips shrugged as he returned the mirror to the earth.

"You! I'll destroy you myself!" Babidi shouted as he waved his hands conjuring more magic.

"What you going to do? Turn me into a newt?" Phips chuckled.

"Actually I was thinking of skewering you up over a fire and feeding you to Majin Buu," Babidi continued waving his hands.

"No no no… you're supposed to say "Exactly!" then turn me into a newt so I can snap out of it and say "Ha, I got better!" You ruined the joke!" Phips shook his head in disgust.

Babidi cocked an eyebrow, "I'll stick with the skewering idea thank you." Babidi finished his spell and hundreds of long sharp knives appeared in the air around him.

"Those look sharp…" Phips commented.

"Molecular edges!" Babidi clarified.

"Ah… I'll be running now then…" Phips turned around and started running as the knives began their pursuit.

Babidi's laughing echoed through the valley as the knives pierced the ground where Phips feet had been only milliseconds prior and continued chasing. Phips noticed Goten and Trunks in the direction he was running and waved his hands at them, "Run, run, run, RUN!"

"AHHH!" Goten and Trunks turned and started running with Phips as skewering knives continued to rain down upon them.

Overhead Piccolo and Buu crashed into each other creating a shockwave of energy which shattered nearby rocks and boulders. Piccolo recovered from the brunt first and flew past Majin Buu kicking him back in the opposite direction. Before Buu flew off too far, Piccolo's arm extended and grabbed Buu by his antenna and hoisting the two of them towards each other again so he could punch Buu in the face.

"WAAHHH!" Buu screamed as he tumbled back to the ground. Buu bounced a few times before crashing face first into a rocky cliff side.

Piccolo landed close by the pink blob with his arms folded, "End this foolishness now and you'll walk away from this fight."

Buu's body inverted, his face extruded from the back of his head followed by the rest of his body allowing him to change direction without actually turning around. Piccolo looked disgusted at the pink blob which only seemed to fuel Majin Buu's rage further. His eyes squeezed tight and his teeth began to grind as steam escaped the pores on his head and back, "BUU… REALLY… ANGRY!"

Piccolo sensed Buu's power rising dramatically and prepared himself for the next attack.

Phips and the boys had managed to dodge all of atomic blades. Phips was trying to catch his breath as he checked over the two boys to make sure they were alright, "Well…" he gasped, "That was exciting!"

"Umm…" Trunks pointed to the hill Babidi was standing on, "I think he's about to do it again!"

Babidi waved his hands in the air, "PAPARAPAPA!" they heard echoing across the empty field as fireballs burst from the ground under their feet.

"Hot feet, hot feet! Keep moving!" Phips rushed the boys around to dodge the coming flames.

The fireballs dissipated and Phips turned to glare once again at Babidi who was still waving his arms about.

"Oh no he's doing something else!" Goten whined.

"That's enough of this!" Phips rolled up his sleeves and took a few steps forward, "You like casting spells huh? Well Hickory Dickory BOOF to you!" Phips pointed his finger at Babidi and in a puff of smoke Babidi disappeared leaving a small nicely wrapped gift box in his place.

Goten and Trunks stared wide eyed in disbelief, "THAT WAS AWESOME!" They shouted, "How'd you do it?"

Phips stared at his finger in amazement, "Don't ask me, I don't know magic!"

The two boys blinked for a moment in confusion before shrugging and just going along with it.

"RAHG!" Piccolo grunted as Majin Buu head butted him in the chin. He bit down on his tongue and a spray of purple blood flew from his mouth. Piccolo flipped around to regain control of his flight and found Buu only inches away from him. He punched Buu as hard as he could in the stomach, but pink goop of Buu's body appeared to absorb the attack with little effect being transferred to Buu.

Majin Buu opened his mouth wide and an enormous purple and white beam of energy was blasted from within his body impacting Piccolo at close range. Piccolo shook his head to try and shake off the dazing effects the blast had.

Taking a moment to clear his mind, Piccolo tried to think out his opponent's weaknesses, "He seems to have a greater advantage in the air… maybe if we take this battle back to the ground it'll limit some of his movement…" Piccolo descended with Buu quickly chasing after him.

Once on the ground, the flurry of attacks continued. Piccolo and Buu were matching each other's every move. Pushing his ki down through his body, Piccolo shot upward with a devastating kick to Buu's head causing him to spin in the air. "EXPLOSIVE DEMON WAVE!" Piccolo fired from both hands and blew Majin Buu to the ground.

Taking a few deep breaths Piccolo began to realize he was expending more energy than he thought he had been. He grunted in frustration as he wasn't entirely accustomed to using his full power yet.

After taking the hit, Majin Buu still burst from the ground in a spinning somersault and landed a few feet away from Piccolo ready to continue, "He just goes on…" Piccolo tried sensing Buu's power again only to find more power than he felt the last time he tried to sense him. "Does it end?"

"Buu strongest of all!" Buu shouted while dancing on one leg.

Realizing he'd have to finish this quickly if he was going to stand a chance against this creature Piccolo jumped back and reached into the full depths of his ancient namekian powers. Piccolo's purple aura swelled and grew brighter flashing with specs of gold. The atmosphere began to release static discharges in response to Piccolo's growing energy, "Let's see how you deal with a Super Namek… HAAAA!" With another flash of brilliant light Piccolo's body began to shine brightly.

With incredible speed, Piccolo lunged forward. He slammed both fists atop Buu's head with such force Buu's body splattered to the ground in a pink puddle. Piccolo looked over his handiwork for a moment before the oozing pink puddle began to pull itself together in twenty different spots creating many miniature Majin Buu's

"BUU!" The lot of them cried in unison creating an echoing chorus.

"What?" Piccolo watched dumbfounded as he was tackled from all directions by the pint sizes chubby creatures. Piccolo swung at one kicking it away only for two others to hit him from behind. Grunting as he collected energy down his arm, Piccolo began to pick off targets, "Destructive Wave!" He toasted one Buu to a brown crisp and continued down the line.

Once he was down to only a few left, Piccolo noticed the brown burnt carcasses of Buu began to melt into pink putty and converge back into one full form. The last few miniatures he was fighting retreated on their own falling back into the reconstructed Buu.

Piccolo tried to continue the attack before Buu fully completely pieced himself back together. As he dashed forward with his fist extended, a pink glob resembling a limb intercepted Piccolo's punch and tossed him to the side.

The color and shape fully returned to Majin Buu before Piccolo recovered from the toss. "Now Buu blow you up!"

Piccolo stopped himself before colliding with anything large and looked up to see Majin Buu's right arm increasing in size. The bulge traveled down his forearm and into his hand. Piccolo's eyes widened as he realized the monster had learned his Explosive Demon Wave technique just by watching it.

Majin Buu released the energy creating an enormous pink explosion.

"WHOOOAA!" Goten and Trunks shouted as they were knocked away by the blast.

"I expect hazard pay for this!" Phips grumbled as he rolled in the direction the blast threw him.

Buu smiled as the light faded and he saw Piccolo in the center of the blast with his arms still shielding his face. Much of Piccolo's clothes were torn away by the intensity of the blast and patches of his skin were cut and bleeding.

Lowering his hands from their guarding position, Piccolo glared darkly at Majin Buu before flying up at super speed and clashing once again with the tubby titan. Buu actually caught Piccolo's punch this time around and the two lifted off into the air and continued volleying attacks at each other.

Piccolo strained his power as much as he could, forcing it through his body as he punched and kicked harder, each one with more vigor than the last. After several moments of power struggling though Piccolo began to realize that every time he raised his power Buu continued to match it. Even after all this time spent locked in battle with Majin Buu, Piccolo was no closer to finding the true depths of Buu's power.

With his fingers extended forward, Piccolo made a chop toward Buu's head which was easily dodged. Buu smiled sinisterly realizing they were approaching the limits of Piccolo's power, "Buu beat you now!"

Majin Buu pulled his fist back and charged his energy into it making it glow with power. With Piccolo still in the midst of his attack, Buu slammed his fist into Piccolo's abdomen. The force of the blow caused Piccolo's insides to shift as Majin Buu's fist nearly tore completely through him.

Pulling his fist back out, Buu spun around and kicked Piccolo in the head sending him crashing to the ground hard.

"Mister Piccolo's in trouble!" Goten shouted and began to power up.

"Sorry tyke, but this is no battle for you to butt into!" Phips jumped in front of the two demi saiyans.

"But we can't just sit here and do nothing to help!" Trunks argued.

Phips smiled, "You'll get your chance, just be patient and wait for the right moment! And besides, I think things about to go up…"

The ground began to quake causing Goten, Trunks, and Majin Buu to look around confused. The sound of an explosion rang through the open field as light engulfed Babidi's space ship.

"…in flames…" Phips finished.

From the wreckage of the ship emerged three second level super saiyans. Gohan slightly in front of the other two walked calmly to the battle field. Majin Buu eyed the newcomers curiously.

"Majin Buu, I'm giving you one chance to surrender peacefully. Leave my friends alone and no harm will come to you," Gohan commanded.

Piccolo rolled over from his prone position to look over to his former student. He couldn't help but smile in pride as he saw Gohan's commanding posture.

"Buu told beat all enemies… Buu strongest of all… BUU BEAT YOU TOO!" Buu's body expelled more steam creating another loud whistle.

"Then I'm sorry for what we have to do…" Gohan nodded to Goku and Vegeta as they stepped in front of Gohan and prepared to take over the fight against Majin Buu.

"He's strong… really strong!" Goku grinned.

"Compared to a saiyan, he is nothing!" Vegeta growled, still angry from Babidi's invasion into his mind.

"Let's do it!" Goku shouted and the two jumped into the fray against their universal threat.

* * *

End Chapter

I had a lot of fun with this chapter. I think it caught a lot of my desire to expand on the entire Dragon Ball story and be entirely one character centric. I hope you all enjoyed it also! Please leave me a review and let me know if expanding on all the characters is a good idea, or if I should just concentrate on the mains.

'Till next time!


	14. Crisis Manifest

Chapter 14: Crisis Manifest

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Goku and Vegeta shouted in unison as they flew across the field toward Majin Buu. Buu watched with a curious look on his face until the saiyans impacted him. Goku struck first elbowing Buu in the stomach followed by Vegeta who landed both of his knees to the fluffy pink face.

Buu was tumbled over but quickly bounced back to his feet, "Buu no like you!"

Vegeta appeared in front of Buu with his hand extended releasing a blast which blew off Majin Buu's head. Buu immediately reached into his neck and pulled out a new head.

"Buu eat you up!" Majin Buu steamed and began to charge energy through his antenna.

"That beam transforms matter, watch out!" Phips shouted to warn the saiyans.

Goku and Vegeta heeded the warning and jumped out of the way of the swirling beam attack. The beam struck a boulder behind the two and turned it into a giant peanut butter bar.

While the two adult saiyans kept Buu occupied, Gohan ran over to Piccolo and gave him a hand helping his sensei to his feet, "Thanks kid," Piccolo smiled softly to him.

"Thank you Piccolo! Wow, you held off that Majin Buu all by yourself! You've really gotten strong!" Gohan spoke admiringly to Piccolo.

A slight chuckle escaped the smirk on Piccolo's face, "It seems the one who's really improved over the years is you though," Piccolo grinned, "Holding off Goku and Vegeta at the same time, that's no simple feat."

Gohan rubbed his sore shoulder, "Yeah, don't remind me…" Gohan kept scanning over the field where Goku and Vegeta dueled fiercely with Majin Buu.

Piccolo noticed Gohan's attention kept shifting around, "I'd ask what's been going on with you, but now seems to be a bad time."

Gohan nodded, "Sorry, something isn't right…"

"What is it?" Piccolo tried sensing beyond the battle in front of them as well.

"I was sent here because of something else… Someone is here and should be close… But I don't sense anything right now… I don't like this…" Gohan tensed.

"What kind of person are you looking for?" Piccolo asked.

"I'm not sure actually… But it's definitely someone not from this dimension…" Gohan continued to concentrate on the surrounding area.

Goku and Vegeta continued their assault on the fat Buu. Majin Buu appeared to be having difficulty keeping up with the two of them. The two saiyans kept increasing their speed and moved faster than Buu's eyes could keep up with. When one had Buu's attention, the other would strike.

"Now to finish it off!" Vegeta jumped a few paces back and held his hands out to the sides. En enormous amount of energy began to collect in each of his outstretched hands, "FINAL FLASH!" Vegeta was bringing his hands forward to connect and complete the attack.

Gohan's eyes widened as his senses entered overdrive and the world around him slowed to a crawl. A chill crept up his spine as he watched Vegeta's hands moving so slowly in front of him. The source of this sensation was coming from above, high above near the end of earth's atmosphere a power had sparked to life and grew exponentially like nothing he'd ever felt before. The power he was sensing formed an energy wave and it was fired down toward Vegeta.

Not wasting any time to react, Gohan teleported to Vegeta's side and pushed him out of the way cancelling out Vegeta's Final Flash. Gathering energy as quickly as he could, Gohan formed an energy shield above his head to protect the earth below his feet from the intense blast.

Vegeta grumbled as he caught himself from falling and turned around in time to see the massive energy beam impact Gohan's shield with enough force to sink Gohan into the ground turning the area for hundreds of meters around into a crackling crater.

Everyone nearby began to sink as the ground compressed under the incredible blast. Gohan stared up through the beam clashing against his shield and could feel his target far above. Quickly converting the energy of his shield into an attack, Gohan shot the energy upwards countering the opposing beam and repelled it back into the sky.

Once Gohan was sure he had control of the power struggle he noticed the energy he was sensing was no longer above him. He looked around trying to find the strange energy signature again, "Everyone watch out!"

The sky darkened just as Gohan finished shouting. The sun was eclipsed behind thick swirling clouds. The energies of the earth began to gather directly above their battlefield. Even Majin Buu completely stopped his assault and stared curiously up into the sky. The center of the cloudy vortex opened allowing a ray of heavenly light to pass creating a brilliant path for the being descending from within it.

Gohan grit his teeth and crouched into a ready position as the others continued to watch the eccentric entrance. Piccolo immediately sensed incredible power emanating from this other worldly being. It was massive and tainted with… anger… There was a rage within the power itself creating a tunnel delving into power too deep to fully grasp. This hidden power could easily rival if not pale that of Majin Buu.

Vegeta watched intrigued as the powerful warrior approached. The features were humanoid and male. He had smooth dark grey skin and wild spiky white hair. The scleras around the pupils of his eyes were completely black giving his eyes solid reflective appearance. His facial features were rounded with prominent cheek bone structure and almost flat ears. He wore a tight form fitting black shirt with a white sleeveless vest atop it making his developed muscles very apparent. The pants he wore were off white with chutes to keep from constricting his movement. The sharp contrasting light and dark made his appearance all the more intimidating to most.

Vegeta continued to stare, "What is he, some kind of Gecko?" he muttered under his breath.

Goku tried getting a better sense of this new enemy's power. It went deep and was hard to measure. It was impressive given the alien's youthful features. If he had been human, Goku would have guessed his age to be no greater than fifteen or sixteen.

"Oh Kami… it just had to be him!" Phips shook in panic as he took in the alien's appearance, "Of all the deebees for us to hunt down here it just had to turn out to be Ru…"

Goten and Trunks couldn't help but ask, "Who's Ru?"

Once the alien was on the ground, Gohan slowly approached him, "Are you the Xescap known as Ru?" Gohan asked.

"I see my reputation precedes me!" Ru snickered, "Of course I am well aware that you are a Sovereign Guardian as well."

Gohan nodded, "You are intruding on this dimension, you need to leave and return to your home realm immediately. Comply and no harm will come to you," Gohan spoke sternly.

Ru shook his head, "Oh that speech again… Doesn't that blasted Kai give you any alternative speeches to use?"

Gohan clenched his fist not liking where this was going, "I'm giving you a chance to end this without a fight. You can go back home and live the rest of your life in peace. Please don't make this difficult…"

"Peace? Where's the fun in peace? I've been to hundreds of different realms and you know which ones are the best? The ones teeming with chaos and conflict! So much to do in some universes… why you could spend hundreds of years soaking it all in and not even realize it," Gohan wasn't sure if Ru was trying to insinuate something or not.

"If you don't leave peacefully on your own then I'll be the one to take you down!" Gohan declared.

Ru began to laugh, "You? You really think a young runt like you has a chance against a force like me? I have crossed the boundaries of realities your limited vocabulary could only refer to as hell and nightmare and defeated every challenge ever to dare cross my path. Even your Kai's precious Serius Prime has been powerless to stop me upon all of our encounters! What chance do you have?"

Gohan didn't back down for a moment, "I'm afraid you're the one who doesn't understand Ru. This isn't just another dimension you've stepped into… this is my home! This is my world! A world filled with people wanting just to live their lives in peace. And I will not relent on anything that dares to challenge that peace! So this is your last chance to stop what you're doing and go back to your own home."

"So you're taking this personal I see…" Ru shook his head, "I'm afraid it won't help you. My mission far supersedes any fallacy your petty emotions can conjure. If a few realms must be broken to accomplish my goal then so be it. The ends will justify the means I assure you."

"NOT A CHANCE!" Gohan started powering up, "You think it's fun toying with the lives of the innocent to appease your own selfish goals! Now I'll stop you no matter what!" The golden light around Gohan intensified as he powered up for battle.

"At least you're fun!" Ru assumed his own battle stance and prepared himself.

Not about to let his son fight alone, Goku dashed over to the two of them but Majin Buu appeared in front of him, "Buu bored now!" Majin Buu punched Goku hard in the stomach, "Buu beat you up!"

Vegeta grunted and moved in to aid Goku against Majin Buu once again.

On the side lines Phips continued to shake his head, "I don't even know much about this guy besides what I've heard from stories. I know the last time the Serius Prime team tracked him down and fought him Shu and Torjy were beaten up so bad it took a whole sheet panacea crackers to heal them back up. Even the leader of the team, Lao, was barely able to keep up with this guy. From the stories I've heard he just walks from dimension to dimension looking for something but nobody knows exactly what. Whenever he's nearby they say galaxies tremble and planets turn to dust. He just is and has been for longer than any of the Sovereign Guards can remember. He's like a legendary disaster that survivors speak of in hushed voices." Phips spoke uncharacteristically serious.

"But Gohan can stop him, right?" Trunks asked.

A sheen of sweat escaped from under Phips hat as he watched for the first move.

Gohan waited for Ru to make the first move and only stared him down. He knew he was up against the challenge of his life. Not only was Ru strong… He had proved himself to be one of the most powerful beings in a large cluster of dimensions. He had to concentrate since he knew if Ru managed to gain the upper hand in the fight it could all be over quick.

"Let's see what this infantile Sovereign Guard is capable of then!" Ru disappeared so quickly it looked as if he had left in several different directions. Gohan felt Ru approaching just in time to put an arm up in defense of the attack.

"So you are decently capable, let's see how long you can last!" Gohan grit his teeth at Ru's taunting.

Ru disappeared using his extreme speed once again. Gohan's aura built up higher as he manifested more of his second level super saiyan power and swung around delivering a fierce strike with his boot to Ru's face before his opponent had even slowed down.

Their auras flared again and they both disappeared from their spectator's sights. The resounding percussions of their strikes filled the air as the force from each blow began to separate the clouds in the sky.

Across the field, Goku and Vegeta fought an invigorated Majin Buu.

"What is this?" Vegeta cursed as he pushed himself from the ground, "We were picking him apart just a moment ago…" Vegeta jumped back up but Majin Buu was on this attack this time.

"Buu beat you up! Buu beat you up!" Majin Buu shouted as he wound up his arm and then flung his fist an extra seven feet through the air to Vegeta's jaw.

Goku flew in again from Buu's other side now that he was distracted by Vegeta. Majin Buu's right hand caught the knee only inches before it impacted his head. Majin Buu grinned once Vegeta was back up and a second face formed at the back of Buu's head. Majin Buu actually faced both his opponents as he fought them at the same time on opposite sides of his body.

With a hand concentrating on each saiyan, Buu punched, blocked, and fired energy waves at Goku and Vegeta. Catching Vegeta's fist as the Saiyan Prince tried to land a punch, Buu threw him into Goku sending the two of them into a solid rock face cliff causing it to collapse on top of them.

The two saiyans immediately burst free of the rubble and watched Majin Buu as he danced his way toward them to continue the scuffle.

"This is ridiculous; he's not taking this seriously!" Vegeta barked.

Goku nodded, "We're going to have to turn things up a bit. You ready?"

Vegeta responded by powering up further. Goku followed suit and gathered all his energies. The two began to shine a brilliant gold and their hair extended. Their power increased dramatically as they completed their third level transformation.

"Alright Buu, no more games!" Goku shouted before he and Vegeta dashed into Buu again.

Gohan slid to a stop on the ground and spun around with his fist extended to punch at his pursuer. Ru pushed the punch to the side and launched uppercut from underneath tossing Gohan back a good ways. As Gohan was flung back Ru couldn't help but notice the look on the boy's face as he flew back… he was actually smiling…

Gohan caught himself on his hands while he was upside-down and flipped himself around in time to catch an energy ball Ru threw at him and toss it harmlessly up into the sky.

"There's something different about you…" Ru commented.

"Oh?" Gohan asked while in position to resume the battle at any moment.

"Yes… Something about you no other Sovereign Guard has ever displayed quite like you," Ru looked Gohan over just to be sure.

Catching Gohan's curiosity, he couldn't help but ask, "What's that?"

"That some part of you is actually enjoying this..." Ru smiled deviously, "Is it the exhilaration of a fierce battle? Or perhaps even the knowledge that the fate of the world is in your hands?"

Gohan actually grinned back, "It's because of what I am, a great challenge always brings out the best in me and that's what's really exciting!"

"I see…" Ru held his hands to his sides drawing upon his internal energy wells, "Well then I hope you're excitement lasts because the level of challenge you face is about to get much greater!"

Gohan's stance solidified, "I'm ready for it!"

"Believe what you want to…" Ru powered up violently, causing the ground beneath him to split open, "But now you will see why countless worlds across the realms of reality have all learned to fear me!"

Gohan took in a deep breath retaining his confidence that all of his hard work and training had left him well prepared to deal with this, "I'm not afraid of you, so bring it on!"

Ru grinned and in a burst of energy that broke through layers of earth beneath him, Ru charged at Gohan.

* * *

End Chapter

Sorry for the cliffhanger. I didn't want to cram a lot together so I wanted this chapter to primarily focus on introducing the antagonist of the story. Hope you find him cool!

Plenty of action coming soon, so please come back next week!


	15. Fruits of Training

It actually happened… I wanted to thank everyone who has left comments on this story for helping to push ZAT:Immortal into Hundred Breaker status. At the time of this chapter's posting the story is standing at 113 reviews! Compared to any story I've ever written before that's just massive! The last time ZAT:Immortal was written and published the story sat somewhere around 73 reviews upon completion. This time around we're almost at the half way point and we've already broken 100… That's so exciting and motivating, so thanks again to everyone who has helped out! I'm going to try hard to make sure the story continues to be updated every Friday as well as proofread as best I can. I'm setting my aspirations that just maybe this story might hit the three hundred mark by the time it's completed.

Thank you for your continued support, I hope you all continue to enjoy and be entertained!

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Chapter 15: Fruits of Training

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Ru powered up, his energy filled the crevices created during the battle with massive light. Piccolo was barely able to follow the movement as Ru moved like a lightning strike and landed a hit directly to Gohan's face. The area lit up in brilliant white as the force of Ru's punch dug into Gohan's jaw. Ru's vision locked onto a different aspect however. The look on Gohan's face was not the crushing pain he had expected, "He's… smiling…" Ru thought to himself as the momentum from the punch drove Gohan into the ground.

A deep rumble shook the entire area, and mounds of dust were kicked into the air from the force of the body penetrating the ground. Ru held his pose, his fist still extended where he had impacted the young demi-saiyan's face. His gaze was fixed staring into the dust waiting for signs of movement.

The silhouette of a small form became visible as the dust settled. Gohan was crouched by the ground. A growl emanated from his throat and began to deepen until his aura flared brighter; the golden flames cleared away the settling dust immediately. Gohan wiped a string of blood from his lip, "You're strong alright!"

Ru grinned as well, "Don't toy with me; I can hit a lot harder than that!

"I know," Gohan smirked, "Kind of like this?" Gohan moved so quickly it looked as if he teleported from the spot.

Ru's eyes widened not expecting the move as an elbow met his nose. Gohan appeared once again behind him as he fell back and kicked him up into the air. From the air, Gohan kicked downward from above with both feet sending Ru to the hard rocky surface with an earth trembling impact. Not letting up Gohan held his hands at his forehead concentrating his energy into a short range blast, "MASENKO… HAA!" The blast torched the ground disintegrating the debris the wave's path.

Once the light settled, the ground below was perfectly smooth. No signs of Ru could be seen anywhere.

"BEHIND!" Piccolo shouted as Ru dashed in at super speed and punched Gohan in the face again. The two of them disappeared and Piccolo was only able to make out the points at which their clashes momentarily stopped them. In one instant Gohan had kneed Ru in the stomach, in the next Ru kicked Gohan across his side, further away Gohan had smashed both his fists on top of Ru's head. The two flickered in and out of Piccolo's sight so quickly it looked to be one massive chain of attacks taking place at different locations at the same time.

Gohan flipped and charged his energy into his fists as he dashed toward Ru again. Ru anticipated the move and initiated a similar action. The two's fists collided in the center creating a huge shockwave like explosion causing the earth to quake for hundreds of miles in every direction.

The two floated away from each other breathing hard yet both still looked ready for more. Ru laughed as he pointed a finger towards Gohan, "I'm impressed that a soul so young can possibly be so powerful. I do believe even that stuck up idiot on your team Lao would be having trouble by now, and yet here you are having the time of your afterlife. A shame it can't last."

"We'll see; I still have plenty more fight where that came from!" Gohan retorted.

"As I said, you are very strong, but you have a lot to learn as far as control over your energy, allow me to demonstrate!" Ru held out his hand and began collecting his power and forming an energy ball, "One of the important things about combat is not wasting any energy while in the midst of it, you need to make your energy work for you, intensify itself, and leave you as little fatigued as possible, do you think you can do that?"

Gohan looked confused for a moment, but then felt the power within Ru's energy ball increasing. The ball seemed to be folding over its own power and replicating itself from molecules of energy in the air. The effect was enormous and Ru's power well didn't seem to be effected at all by the drain.

"Now we'll see how much power it takes for you to stop this!" Ru pointed the ball at Gohan and the front split open allowing a stream of energy to escape and form a massive beam.

Without hesitation Gohan clasped his hands at his side and concentrated his energies into a single point, "KAMEHAMEHA!" Gohan countered the blast with his father's signature move.

"Focusing your energy is child's play; you're still pushing out all of your own power. You'll soon exhaust and then this fight will be mine!" Ru leered.

Gohan grit his teeth realizing he was expending much more power than Ru in this struggle. He had to think of a way to turn the tides. Though Ru wasn't using much energy, Gohan could tell he was very concentrated into what he was doing. Gohan knew he had a chance to catch his opponent off guard and shifted the Kamehameha beam into just his right hand. Splitting his attention between his two hands, Gohan kept up the Kamehemeha beam still struggling against Ru's attack while his left hand clenched at his side drawing up separate energies. Once he was ready, Gohan held out his left hand to the side of his other beam and shouted, "Power Javelin!"

Ru hadn't noticed Gohan's actions and was taken by surprise by the arrow shaped energy piercing its way towards him. Ru switched to defense and blocked the javelin before it hit, but he realized too late he had played right into Gohan's plan.

Intensifying the power of the Kamehameha, Gohan's energy wave increased in size and speed and tore through the remnants of Ru's energy ball. Gohan's power javelin had distracted Ru just enough to sweep him away with the original blast. Ru shielded his face as the powerful wave dragged him through the sky.

Gohan's eyes widened sensing Ru regaining control on the attack; he clenched his fists tight on the energy as if he were snapping it and caused the energy wave to explode.

Majin Buu looked up at the bright light that filled the sky from the explosion. Vegeta used it as an opportunity to attack. His knee contacted the side of his head to throw him off balance and quickly followed with a leg sweep from behind to knock him off his feet. In the same motion he kicked Buu in the belly sending him bouncing across the rocky ground. Not about to stop, Vegeta powered up an energy wave and fired it off at the still bouncing Buu. Buu was struck and splattered against a rock wall.

The pink stains on the boulders didn't last long as Buu quickly pulled himself back together and reformed. Goku landed next to Vegeta and was next to jump into the fight against the goopy terror.

Goku punched Buu in the face the moment he had formed one, and kicked him back to the ground. Buu bounced allowing Goku another consecutive strike before Buu regained his footing and shot up an abrupt burst of speed and head butted Goku in the chin.

Vegeta flew in with some energy collected in his hand and threw it into Buu's side. Buu actually caught the energy ball and tossed it to the side, spinning around and blasting Vegeta back at the same time. The two third level super saiyans attacked from both sides again, but Majin Buu appeared to have little difficulty blocking their attacks.

Piccolo watched and a look of worry began to settle over his face, "We've underestimated Majin Buu… Everytime they increase their power to fight him Buu somehow raises his own to match it… This is getting dangerous…"

Goku and Vegeta jumped into the air away from Majin Buu, "We need to finish this now!" Vegeta exclaimed.

"Right," Goku put his hands forward as he channeled his power again, "KA ME HA ME!"

Vegeta held out his arms intent on finishing his attack this time, "FINAL!"

Buu looked up at the light swirling around the fighters and grinned, "Buu stronger still!" Piccolo's eyes widened as Majin Buu began to inhale deeply.

"HAA!" "FLASH!" Goku and Vegeta shouted as they fired their attacks down their bloated target.

"WUHAAAAA!" Majin Buu opened his mouth and exhaled releasing an enormous beam of energy from the back of his throat. The beam from Buu's mouth tore through both the Kamehameha and the Final Flash and flew up toward the two full blooded saiyans.

Goku and Vegeta barely managed to jump out of the way but were still fazed by the energy in the proximity of Buu's incredible blast.

Goku looked down at Buu in wonder, "Here I thought we were approaching his limits… but I still can't tell how much deeper his power goes."

"I know it's maddening!" Vegeta scoffed as the tubby titan continued to dance around, apparently not even hurting from all of the damage dealt so far, "We need a new strategy fast Kakarot!"

Gohan waited patiently, his fist still clenched where he had burst the energy wave and blew it up in Ru's face. He knew the extra-dimensional warrior would not be happy when he came back from that. There hadn't been any movement from the blast zone since it went off so Gohan had his senses sharpened trying to pick up any sign of Ru's location.

The ground directly beneath Gohan exploded and a powerful energy beam shot upward. Gohan managed to move out of the way, but the ripple of the blast was still enough to tear away the left side of his sovereign jacket.

Gohan folded his arms and watched as Ru slowly floated up beside him, "Surprise attacks aren't going to work on me, I hope you have something more exciting than that in your arsenal!"

Ru chuckled, "Aren't you something… I just believe in making entrances with a bang, that's all!"

Moving back into a fighting stance, Gohan readied himself, "So shall we continue?"

"Think you're ready?" Ru swaggered to the side, "You must be feeling pretty sure of yourself, but let me assure you, I'm barely warming up."

"I can push things a lot further too, so what are you waiting for?" Gohan grinned to himself.

"You might have a lot of energy, but like I already told you, you just don't have near the control necessary to defeat me, so this fight really is pointless…" Ru quipped light heartedly.

"That's what you said before I sent you flying a minute ago!" Gohan retorted.

"Oh that… Well if believing that you've actually injured me makes you feel good about yourself, then go ahead and believe what you want to. It still won't change the outcome," Ru made no further move.

"You don't think I can hurt you huh? Let's see if you still think that way in another minute!" Gohan flared his ki and shot out of the flames of his own ki to Ru's side. Gohan's fist stretched out on a collision course for Ru's jaw.

Gohan's fist was only a millimeter away from making impact. Instead of a crashing smash like Gohan expected, his fist tore straight through Ru's head as if it weren't a real object. Gohan's eyes widened as he saw Ru's entire head had become featureless fluid energy. The energy spread down Ru's body, shifting his shape. A new head formed from the energy on Ru's back, and the head that Gohan's hand had torn through merged with Ru's arm to become Ru's hand which gripped Gohan tightly.

Ru held on to the still mystified Gohan's wrist and slammed his elbow into Gohan's ribs. Gohan's pupils shrank as Ru cracked the rib which hadn't been fully healed by the portion of the panacea cracker he had earlier.

"Oh did I find a weakness?" Ru quipped.

Gohan clenched his teeth and growled, lunging again with an open fist. Just as before, the point of impact became pure energy and took the hit without causing physical damage to Ru's body. The energy of Ru's body encircled Gohan from behind, reforming Ru upside down with a grip on Gohan's ankle allowing him to somersault around and toss Gohan to the ground.

A crater formed where Gohan hit the ground on his back hard. Before Gohan had the chance to even fully settle from the throw, Ru slammed both knees down onto Gohan's chest making him scream in pain. Ru hopped off Gohan's midsection and began to pound Gohan into the ground with a series of fierce punches. Each strike shook the ground and was specifically pinpointed at the areas Ru knew Gohan was hurting the most.

Gohan yelled as he felt the damaged bones break and bend inward. Ru jumped away from Gohan and left him cradling his midsection. Gohan tried to push himself back up but felt his lower ribs had completely shattered. With each movement it felt as if the pieces were puncturing organs on the inside. Losing his concentration, Gohan's ki flashed and his hair turned from tall spiky gold to his normal black.

Ru watched curiously, "So you increase your power through transformations? Interesting…"

Gohan clenched his teeth tight and continued breathing hard as he tried to find the stamina and will power to get back up.

"This has been entertaining Sovereign, you should be proud to have given me a decent challenge, but now I'm afraid it's time to say goodbye to your existence." Ru held out his hand and began forming a massive energy ball.

The clouds in the sky began to swirl around the incredible energy Ru was collecting. The area around darkened as Ru doubled the energies over itself and created a brilliant source of light which overwhelmed the sun.

"Gohan!" Goku shouted seeing his son in danger. He powered up and flew toward them but was caught by a pink rope made from Buu's own body which quickly wrapped around Goku and pinned him to the ground.

"Buu eat you now!" The Majin creature exclaimed excitedly.

Vegeta tried to intervene with a knee to the back of Buu's head, but Buu flipped his direction by popping his features out of the back of his body and fought Vegeta back. Each blow Vegeta dealt only seemed to be absorbed by Buu's gummy texture.

"The end!" Ru shouted and released the energy ball which rocketed down toward Gohan's prone form.

"MAKANKOSAPPO!" Piccolo fired his special beam cannon which struck Ru's energy ball with just enough force to bounce it harmlessly off into another direction.

Ru looked down disdainfully at Piccolo, "That was rather rude of you…"

Piccolo moved into a ready stance with his sharp nails bared, "Alright Piccolo, round two!" Piccolo powered up to his maximum, summoning up a second wind, and shot up into the sky again.

Ru chuckled in amusement as Piccolo sailed towards him and swiped sideways with his extended arm. Ru easily slid back out of the way of the attack, but as Piccolo spun around a second time his arm extended out, stretching impossibly long away from his own body and grabbed onto Ru's vest. Ru looked surprised by the elongated grasp, and was pulled back by the contraction force for Piccolo to knee Ru in the stomach. With both fists clenched tight, Piccolo finished the attack by slamming down over Ru's head and sending him careening into a cliff.

The reprieve was short lived as Ru burst from the cliff back into Piccolo's face, his arm phased into energy, and he wrapped it around Piccolo like a lasso. Piccolo was squeezed tight by the attack, but then Ru began channeling his energy through it shocking Piccolo with his power. Piccolo yelled from the ongoing attack.

Ru snapped his arm back returning it to a solid form and crashed his elbow to the side of Piccolo's neck. Piccolo's eyes narrowed from the solid blow. "Well that didn't take much!" Ru laughed.

Piccolo's face immediately returned to normal, and at this close range he put both hands up to the sides of his face, "SOLAR FLARE!"

"What?" Ru was unprepared for the brilliant light which Piccolo emitted from the attack and didn't have a chance to try and shield his eyes. Once the attack concluded, Ru grabbed onto his face and yelled, "AHHH! You… Tricksters!" Ru grumbled as he clenched his sore eyes.

Piccolo fell from the sky and landed in a heap beside Gohan, "Mister Piccolo!" Gohan rolled over and put his hands on Piccolo's chest to shake him. Piccolo's energy was badly sapped by the attack.

"Gohan…" Piccolo stirred and looked up to see Ru starting to recover from the solar flare. Piccolo surprised Gohan by quickly flipping them over. He held a hand over Gohan which started to glow a warm reddish gold. "You've got to stop him Gohan!" Piccolo used the remainder of his energy to heal Gohan's broken ribs.

"Piccolo…" Gohan uttered as he watched weakness overcome his old sensei.

"Do it Gohan!" Piccolo shouted before falling to the grounds barely conscious.

"Right!" Gohan jumped back to his feet and found his target, "This is going to take something more…"

Ru was finally able to open his eyes, his vision slowly returning to normal, "Curse these weaklings!" A deep rumbling and tremble in the air caused him to look down as best he could toward the crater he had left Gohan in.

Gohan was standing and powering up, his hair waved in the wind created by his building aura. His voice echoed across the plateau around him as he reached deep within to pull out greater power. His eyes snapped open revealing a striking gold color to them, a tail grew from the spot on his lower spine shooting out through the back of his pants.

The fight against Majin Buu paused momentarily as everyone sensed the buildup of an enormous power. "What on earth is he doing?" Vegeta mumbled shocked as he saw the new tail on Gohan's figure.

Color was actually fading from the surrounding world as Gohan pushed open the inner envelopes of his power well. With a louder yell, Gohan arched up and pure energy began erupting from the ground beneath him sending massive spikes up into the earth's atmosphere. Each spark tore holes in the sky exposing cold dark space. With a final explosion of light and energy, Gohan hair and tail changed colors to a lustrous platinum-silver. His muscles grew slightly and he exhaled, completing his newest transformation.

Vegeta watched with his mouth agape, "I've never seen a Super Saiyan transformation so… advanced…"

Goku broke out of the reverie first, "That's my son!"

Ru stared in confusion realizing this Gohan was immensely more powerful than he had been in the form he used to fight him prior. Gohan's ki flared wildly an instant before he disappeared from his point on the ground, reappearing instantaneously with his elbow embedded in Ru's stomach. Ru was sent hurling across the sky only to be stopped aggressively by Gohan's knee to his lower back. With a double upward kick, Ru was launched straight up into the air.

Spinning around, Ru regained control over his momentum and growled while flaring his own ki wickedly. Gohan appeared behind him in the midst of a downward lunge, but Ru phased to energy before being struck allowing Gohan to pass through him without effect.

Gohan immediately stopped his momentum and in a reversal spinning motion drew the Realis from its scabbard on his back and sliced at Ru's energy form while channeling his own power through the blade. The sword slashed quickly through Ru's energy separating it into two pieces.

Ru's body formed out of the larger collection of energy and he attempted to recall the other energy portion back to him. Gohan held out his hand and intervened with an energy blast which disintegrated the moving energy away into nothing. Ru stared angrily at Gohan, his power level took a noticeable hit after losing that energy.

"Every move has a weakness," Gohan reminded him.

"Don't you dare lecture me!" Ru dashed forward and slammed his fist into Gohan's face. Gohan took the hit with minimal backlash. He straightened out his neck and only smiled at how little damage the punch caused.

Ru crossed his arms, "Do you really think you're just playing with me now?" Gohan chuckled slightly in response. "I'll give you this; you are one of the strongest warriors I have ever met, Sovereign… But I've spent thousands of your pathetic years training and building my strength and devising better ways to fight and kill."

Gohan knew Ru was about to do something, he sensed Ru's power well expand as he reached into his remaining energy and focused his ki dramatically. "Then let's do this right, no more holding back, all out!"

"As… you… wish…" Ru yelled as his ki aura exploded around him. The air around the battle field began to spin, creating an enormous vortex. First the clouds in the sky were caught in the swirling power, then even the ground below couldn't resist the spinning force.

Goten and Trunks were dragging Piccolo over to their hiding spot with Phips when the ground beneath them shifted and began to slide around the battle field. Goten lost his balance and fell on his face while Trunks turned and watched the fighter up in the sky power up, "Man this is bad!"

Ru's muscles bulged out larger as energy began sparking across his body. His skin visibly hardened, the texture became more like scales than skin. His eyes began to glow brightly and lighten from black to platinum. A long, thick, and slithery tail grew from his backside also covered in hard thick scale plates. In a final burst of incredible ki Ru's hair changed color from bright white to a near black crimson.

"He can transform…" Gohan prepared himself for the next bout.

Ru laughed as he noticed Gohan appraising him, "It's a rarity really… in a way I suppose it just goes to show how strong you are… But I'm afraid it's over for you now. The last time I used this transformation it was against your entire team of Serius Prime and they all fell by the wayside; even your Kai's precious warrior Lao."

"Times change… and don't forget, I'm not Lao, I have my own way of doing things, and believe me… I will take you down today." Gohan's still voice spoke in utmost seriousness.

"Such childish dreams… Your end comes now!" Ru and Gohan both disappeared from the sky leaving no trace of their movement due to their insane speed except shock waves of energy at every point of impact they made which split the very sky above them from the thunderous assaults.

Goten and Trunks couldn't help but stare at the sky with their mouths hanging open as the two warriors battled. Piccolo slowly pushed himself off the ground and turned his head to watch the battle while he sat beside the two young saiyans, "And this… is only the beginning…"

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End Chapter

OK so things are getting a little extreme… I'd say this is probably the most action filled chapter I've ever written for any story. Fight scenes are an interesting thing to write since you basically have to take this video like image in your head and find a way to convey it in words. The hope is that I wrote it in a way that allows the readers to visualize everything that's happening also.

Thank you very much for continuing to read the story, and please leave some more feedback! Quick comments, suggestions, full critiques, I appreciate them all! I hope to have you all back next week for the next chapter of Dragon Ball ZAT!


	16. Contamination

Chapter 16: Contamination

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Goku and Vegeta continued double teaming Majin Buu. The two were in near sync with each other as they sped across the battle field. In the same instant the two saiyans appeared on either side of Majin Buu and crushed his head between their knees.

Buu's head popped back out to its normal size and steam blew out from the holes on his head. Majin Buu elongated his reach and grabbed Vegeta's leg before he jumped back far enough and swung him into Goku. With his two opponents in the same spot Buu floated slightly into the air with his arms extended to his sides. Pink energy began to form in each of his hands until he brought them forward and connected them at the wrists in front of him.

Vegeta and Goku noticed what he was doing as they pushed themselves to their feet, "You've got to be kidd…" Vegeta started but was interrupted by Majin Buu firing his own Final Flash. The energy cut a straight line through its path decimating anything caught in its wake.

A few hundred meters away and nearly buried in the carved out ground, both Goku and Vegeta lied embedded in the dirt with their arms shielding their faces. They were a little singed from the attack, and stung greatly as they got back up to their feet again.

"He can learn our moves by watching them… Oh man…" Goku shook the haze from his head and prepared himself for the next bout. "He copies our power and technique; I've never faced an opponent quite like him before…" Goku had to stop himself from admiring the pink abomination.

Vegeta growled in frustration, "Well now you have, and we still have to find a way to beat him! Frontal assaults aren't working, and trying to overpower him only seems to be making him stronger! If only we had some way of draining his energy…"

Both saiyans looked up in sudden realization, and looked at each other to confirm they were thinking the same thing, "I'll hold him off while you try and find it?" Goku suggested.

"Right… Don't you dare get yourself eaten Kakarot!" Vegeta flew off toward the wreckage of Babidi's ship while Goku charged back into the fight Majin Buu.

Majin Buu blocked Goku's initial crash with his arm, but Goku followed up with a swift kick to the side rolling Buu over. While Buu was spinning, Goku grabbed onto Buu's antenna and held on tight while he socked Buu around like a punching balloon.

Goku knew he wouldn't be able to keep Buu occupied with this for long, so before Buu regained control he spun the tubby warrior in circles and tossed him to the side with incredible momentum, "KAMEHAME-HAA!" Goku launched a huge energy blast after Majin Buu which made impact and exploded in time with Buu's collision with the ground sending chunks of pink gunk in every direction.

Goku breathed a sigh of relief that he had bought at least a few more seconds while Buu pulled himself together. The moment was short lived as an explosion of energy from behind nearly bowled him over.

Gohan had his foot firmly planted in the ground and was pushing back against Ru who was nearly pinning him. Gohan shoved hard and knocked Ru back just enough to pull the Realis out once again and slash at his enemy causing him to back flip out of the way. Gohan gave chase, spinning the sword above his head and quickly bringing the weapon down in a sharp arc. Ru's arm liquefied in into energy and reformed with a long bone like blade extending from his wrist backwards past his elbow which he used to block Gohan's attack.

The Realis struck the impromptu weapon and bounced off causing Gohan to swing the sword around again from the side. Ru hopped over Gohan's blade and swung his elbow at Gohan's face cutting right under the eye. Gohan didn't let the attack faze him and swung around again with the Realis, clashing against Ru's weapon again. Each strike the two made against each other shattered rocks on the ground into dust.

"That's quite the weapon you have there… I can feel its weight pushing against me, surely no ordinary Sovereign could wield such a sword," Ru eyed the sword as he increased the effort to push against it with his sharp extension.

"It's one of a kind and probably the densest object in the megaverse," Gohan pushed harder knocking Ru back a bit.

"I see," Ru grunted under the pressure," I'll be sure and keep it as a memento of our fight after I destroy you!" Ru pushed back sliding Gohan across the ground slightly. Ru cursed to himself under his breath acknowledging mentally that he was struggling against this boy. He didn't like it…

Ru pushed up hard against the Realis successfully throwing it off of him. He spun to the side and stabbed outward with his spike as Gohan flipped out of the way to dodge the attack. Both crouched close to the ground and in a great spring jumped up into the sky. The attacks from both of them resounded over the earth as they clashed their weapons against each other during their assent.

Whilst high above the clouds the two knocked each other back. Gohan channeled his energy into the Realis and sliced through the air creating an arc of energy which cut through the sky toward Ru. Noticing the energy approaching, Ru put up a shield to block the attack but was unprepared for the amount of force the beam impacted with. The point of intersection between the two energies began to spark and created a repulsion force which threatened to throw Ru backwards.

Gohan appeared a short distance behind Ru from an instant transmission with energy gathering in his hands, "KA ME HA ME…" Ru's eyes widened realizing he was being trapped in the center.

"You're not doing this to me!" a bubble formed around Ru's entire body and began to expand dissipating the energy slash.

"HAAAA!" Gohan fired the Kamehameha hitting Ru's bubble shield and concaved it inward at the point of collision. Ru focused, concentrating his energy onto the point where Gohan's beam threatened to tear through his shield. His shield flexed outward back to its spherical shape and he continued gathering energies. Once he had enough gathered he transformed his entire bubble shield into a gigantic energy ball.

Gohan stared in amazement as the ball opened up and released its power through a crack on the side and began to push his energy beam back at him, "Not this again…" Gohan wasn't about to give up the power struggle at such a crucial point in the battle and forced more energy into his beam. His Kamehameha intensified greatly as energy poured from his hands like a massive river. The power the two of them were emitting was more than enough to crack the earth in two and burn the remains to ashes if they weren't careful.

Ru's energy ball grew even larger and began devouring a great portion of the sky in its light and energy. Gohan felt it starting to overpower his attack. Deciding it was time to use some of his reserves, Gohan focused on his remaining energy, "HYPER KAIO-KEN!" Red, silver, and gold all mixed into Gohan's massive aura and exponentially multiplied the power of his energy wave. The Kamehameha ate through Ru's attack and decimated the energy ball at its center. Ru screamed as the attack carried him on past the reaches of the earth's atmosphere where it finally exploded with a tremendous shockwave that shook the entire planet.

Gohan watched as the immense light in the sky began to fade and he slowly dropped his arms letting them rest at his sides and took in deep breaths to recover from the strenuous attack. He had put a lot of energy into that blast, but he wasn't sensing Ru's energy at all anymore.

Looking up at the scene from the ground, Piccolo couldn't help but let his mouth open. "Holy… They could have destroyed the whole solar system with that kind of power…"

Goten and Trunks were watching with great excitement, "That was so awesome! That was like the biggest boom I've ever seen in my life!" Trunks shouted.

"Yeah I mean it was way up there and I felt the ground shaking way down here!" Goten mirrored the enthusiasm of his best friend, "Do you think the bad guy's gone now Mister Piccolo?"

Piccolo's eyes narrowed as he watched the sky trying to feel out Ru's energy, "I'm not sensing him…" even though he couldn't sense Ru's energy, the eerie feeling at the back of his neck wouldn't let him be.

Gohan was still in the air catching his breath. He was feeling drained after that attack, and using the Kaio-ken exhausted him even further. His breath halted for a moment as the air around him began to glow.

Ru's energy sprung back to life as the sky itself erupted in a bright glow of energy. Energy from beyond the earth was collected and brought down to one spot forming large pool only a few meters in front of Gohan.

"No…" Piccolo and the boys watched as Ru's energy gathered and pieced itself back together.

"Oh snap…" Phips watched from behind the three warriors as well, "I don't suppose any of you know of a good god to pray to in situations like this?"

The energy took shape forming Ru's body once again. Once it solidified, the look on Ru's face read pure anger, "You are going to pay for that…"

Gohan shook his head in disbelief, "But your energy… it faded to nothing… How were you able to reform like that?"

At first Ru was taken aback by the audacity of Gohan's inquiry, but his face slowly contorted from anger to a knowing smirk, and then he burst completely into laughter, "You don't know? After all my run-ins with the Sovereigns are you serious that they don't know?"

Gohan looked completely lost but nodded anyway.

"Don't you get it?" Ru laughed hysterically, "I CAN NEVER DIE!"

Gohan's eyes widened at the insinuation, "Are you saying…?"

"I AM IMMORTAL!" Ru clarified and began to draw in more energy. "Do you understand now how fruitless your struggle is? Try as hard as you want, throw as much power as you want at me, in the end I will still be victorious!"

It was a shock to Gohan that he was up against an immortal. It made some of the stories and mystery surrounding Ru make sense, but it also presented a horrifying dilemma. Gohan shook off the shock quickly and dropped back into a ready stance.

"Do you seriously believe you can continue to challenge me Sovereign?" Ru sneered.

Gohan stood his ground, "An immortal versus a dead guy… this fight could go on for a long time… Though what's really the point of it Ru? There's no reason for this at all! Whatever you're trying to accomplish can't be worth all this!"

"You're just full of talk today aren't you?" Ru chuckled to himself as he slowly floated closer to Gohan, "Let me ask you a question… You know of the megaverse and the infinite number of universes which exist within it… Has the Sovereign Kai ever told you about what could happen if someone from one dimension were to find his counterpart from another dimension and merge with him?"

"Huh?" Gohan looked confused at the sudden change of topic, but thought about the question none the less. He had heard of several different arts of fusion and merger between two entities. Typically the combined power of two strong fighters would create one super fighter capable of monstrous power and ability that neither being was capable of on their own. But if the two happened to be the same person from different realities…

"I see you're in the dark about much young Sovereign… Let me tell you a story then… a story which your great Sovereign Kai fears to utter. It is the reason behind the existence of you Sovereign Guardians as a matter of fact. This story takes place eons ago during a time of great prosperity. In those times commerce between technologically and magically advanced realms was quite common place. You might even be interested in the fact that during this time there were actually five Sovereign Kais…"

Gohan stood by quietly listening to the story and trying to make sense of where this was going.

"Something happened during this time… something which had been considered a fundamental impossibility up until the moment it happened. Two warriors met and joined forces in a battle against an interdimensional warlord. Separately they were no match; they were thrown to the wayside and horribly defeated. As their fate grew near they turned to a technique out of desperation and fused their bodies into one in hope of finally overpowering their opponent. The shift of power was unlike anything the megaverse had ever before witnessed… by some… miracle these two beings were actually one in the same from different realms. The fusion spanning the gap of dimensional boundaries created a perfect synchronization and granted them the power of gods; what those who carry on the tale of the event refer to as Harmony. The warlord who had been their tormentor moments before was defeated by the mere snap of this new god's fingers…"

Gohan listened intently to the story, his mouth hanging slightly open as he pictured these events in his mind.

"This new ultimate being became angry with life and began to spread destruction across the megaverse. His incredible power annihilated entire universes, and reshaped the whole of reality. You see he was so powerful that no force existed strong enough to oppose him… anywhere… The Sovereign Kais then made their boldest move. Four of them followed the warrior into a dimension and used their power to seal off the realm. They knew they had not the power to challenge such a fighter physically, but by sealing off the dimension from within they were able to contain this warrior long enough for the remaining Sovereign Kai to erase that entire universe from existence… the great warrior, and his four fellow Kais with it…"

Gohan took in a deep breath realizing that would have meant that every being, alive or dead, within the dimension was also destroyed to stop that warrior.

"Once the events of this time were concluded, your Kai forbade interdimensional travel from happening ever again in fear that a new Harmony would arise and that there would be nothing capable of stopping it a second time." Ru chuckled darkly as he relayed his story, "Your entire existence is founded on the basis of fear and bloodshed."

Gohan was quiet for a moment and bit his lip. He finally shook his head, "No… it's founded on the principals of hope… the hope that every universe can live in peace and without fear of reliving the past! That is why I exist!"

Ru crossed his arms, "Alright then, be an optimist…"

"You still haven't told me, why are you here?" Gohan demanded.

A low laugh escaped Ru's throat and echoed sinisterly across the sky, "I tell you a story like that and it really doesn't click in your silly little brain?" Gohan blinked starting to piece it together, "You see I'm not alone in the universe… I have counterparts also… It has taken me a long… long time… but I have finally tracked one of them down… And you see he's standing right down there!"

Gohan's eyes shot open wide and he quickly looked down in that direction to see Majin Buu still locked in combat with his father, "Oh Kami…"

"A timeless destructive force from one universe and the legendary onslaught from another… Oh the potential… I would be a god! It would be my decision who is born and who dies! I will reshape reality how I see fit! I will destroy the unworthy! I will uphold the righteous who abide by my law!" Ru snickered as he watched the battle below as well. "Unfortunately though, in his current state Majin Buu is… impure… there are outside forces inside of him which will have to be dealt with first before my perfect sync is possible…"

Gohan turned to Ru with renewed determination engraved on his features, "I WON'T LET YOU DO IT!"

"Of course you won't… this is why unfortunately you're going to have be erased from existence… sorry," Ru spoke perfectly calm making Gohan wonder what exactly the other was planning.

A spark of awareness crossed Gohan's mind as he looked up and realized that during Ru's speech a portion of his energy had been gathering above the earth and had created an enormous ball of dark energy.

Ru's arm changed to energy and he wrapped it around Gohan's throat and extended outward, holding the boy away from him and directly below the ball of energy in the sky, "I should say… it's been fun!"

Gohan struggled against Ru's grip, but the ethereal tightness wouldn't budge no matter what he tried.

Piccolo became aware of the impending attack and stared up in horror, "No Gohan!" He ducked down and tried to power up and fly to his friend's aid, but the energy wouldn't come and he nearly collapsed again, "Noooo…" he grumbled wearily.

Majin Buu landed a punch to Goku's stomach, and followed up with a hook to the side of his face sending him spinning and slammed him to the ground. Goku grunted through clenched teeth as he opened his eyes and caught sight of the enormous energy building above the earth and Gohan being held under it, "Oh my god!"

Goku powered up to try and fly to his son, but Majin Buu came crashing down from above and sat on him hard enough to quake the ground below. Majin Buu held a yellow mitten towards Goku's face, energy building in his hand, and started screaming, "Buu win! Buu win!"

Ru kept laughing at Gohan's struggles, "This… is the end…"

Gohan looked up as the energy ball in the sky split open and released that built up energy down onto him. He screamed as the energy engulfed his body. It hurt, but he couldn't give up yet.

"Now be gone from existence!" Ru shouted as the energy intensified and rained down with insurmountable force.

* * *

End Chapter

Yeah I'm sorry for the evil cliff hangers… Trust me, I want to know what's going to happen next too! I like the way this chapter turned out, Ru's little side story explaining events of the past was completely unplanned but I thought it did well explaining what happened to the other Sovereign Kai's as well as creating another parallel to the original Dragon Ball Z series. Hope the rest of you enjoyed this chapter also, and please drop me some feedback! I love hearing from you all!


	17. History Repeats

Chapter 17: History Repeats

* * *

Ru's dark energy ball in the sky split open wider releasing unfathomable energies down upon Gohan. Gohan screamed as the energy washed over him, tearing at his body, threatening to annihilate his very existence. Gohan clenched his fists tight as he tried to brace himself enough to break free, but the hold Ru had on him was draining.

"Such a shame… you could have been… such a valuable asset…" Ru smirked to himself before continuing his maniacal laughter at Gohan's impending demise.

The energy ball in the sky shook violently, sending a vibration in the air all the way down to the surface signifying it was about to release its full expenditure. Piccolo and Goku continued to stare helplessly as the energy built up.

Ru's jaw clenched tight as he concentrated on the finale of his attack. The air went silent as the final burst of power was about to be unleashed. An echoing sonic crash filled the sky as a fist smashed against the side of Ru's face. Having been preoccupied with Gohan, Ru hadn't noticed a certain saiyan prince approaching from the side until it was too late.

His concentration lost, Ru's energy ball dissipated, and the hold on Gohan was released. Ru grunted in frustration as Vegeta settled in front of the alien being with his arms folded across his chest, "Within the spirit of a saiyan lies the heritage of proud and noble warriors not so easily vanquished by your petty trickery."

"You think you're so knowledgeable yet you've barely scratched the surface of fighting compared to me!" Ru disappeared from sight appearing only a nanosecond later at Vegeta's side. Vegeta sensed Ru's movements and without turning his body at all slammed his fist to the side successfully knocking Ru back.

"I'll show you how energy balls are meant to be done… now welcome… to Super Vegeta's Big Bang Attack!" Vegeta held his hand out forming a ball of intense light and energy. The entire landscape for miles became a blanket of pure white from the brightness of Vegeta's attack. The ball was launched toward Ru as he recovered from the punch he had just taken.

The energy ball wasn't large, but Ru could tell it was highly concentrated. He held out his hands and caught the attack with ease, "What a waste of energy!" he taunted at Vegeta.

"Hmph…" Vegeta scoffed and the energy ball began to grow realizing its full potential as the energy within the ball expanded. The ball began to push harder against Ru and he was starting to struggle to maintain his position in the air.

Vegeta began gathering more energy over his head and threw it down at his own energy ball, "Oblivion awaits!" The two attacks collided causing the initial Big Bang Attack to glow a bright red before exploding in Ru's hands.

Once Vegeta was sure the explosion had bought him a moment he turned to Gohan, "Can you still fight?"

Gohan nodded, "Thanks Vegeta, he took me by surprise but I'll be alright, go help my dad."

"Show him what a saiyan can do!" Vegeta powered up and flew back to the fight with Majin buu.

Down on the ground, Goku flared his ki and freed himself from the clutches of Majin Buu. Majin Buu rolled back to his feet as Goku dashed into him with his fist extended making contact with Buu's non-existent nose. Using fierce punches, Goku slammed his other fist into Buu's gut, then another punch to the chest, and final slam to the side of the featureless pink face.

Majin Buu was floored giving Goku another moment to rest until he popped back up again.

Gohan took a deep breath as he saw Ru recovering from the explosion. Ru growled angrily as he scanned the skies for Vegeta. Gohan flared his ki getting his attention and also signifying his aggravation. Gohan's skin was stinging, his clothes were burnt, and his power had taken a good hit from the last attack. There was no time to think about such things as he knew he needed to concentrate on the task at hand and find a way to defeat an undefeated warrior.

Ru flared his own ki higher accepting Gohan's challenge and rocketed toward him. Gohan charged energy into his fists and punched at Ru the moment he was close enough. The contact created a shockwave of energy expanding out in all directions. Ru spun from the blow and delivered his own punch to Gohan's jaw. Gohan rolled with the attack and swung back with a fierce blow to Ru's stomach. Ru's body actually expanded from the force of the blow but didn't faze him for long as he swiftly kicked Gohan's chest launching him backward. Gohan flipped in the air and stopped poised to continue the battle.

"Is he some kind of secret weapon? The Sovereignty has never fought with this kind of determination before…" Ru was sore, his own energy depleting from not having time to recover after regenerating.

A streak of blood trailed down the side of Gohan's eye which he brushed off with the back of his hand before deciding to try something new. "I won't back down…" Gohan reaffirmed to himself as he drew the Realis once again from the scabbard on is back. Ru scowled at Gohan's favorite toy and prepared himself for Gohan to charge at him with it.

Gohan spun the Realis over his wrist once, and then again, and kept it spinning going faster and faster. The sword resembled a propeller in motion as it spun around Gohan's wrist in front of him. Ru watched biting his lip wondering what exactly Gohan was trying to do. Gohan started feeding his energy into the weapon and the blade began to glow with power. The glow created an almost solid disk in front of the spinning blade.

Ru's eyes widened realizing the sword was amplifying Gohan's power. "HAAAA!" Gohan screamed as the disk of energy the sword had created became an energy wave and blasted down at Ru. Ru noticed the spinning motion of the sword made the beam attack more like a drill as it descended toward him. Ru put up a shield to block the attack but the tip of the beam steadily cut through his energy shield the moment it made contact.

Up in the sky, Gohan began to spin the sword faster trying to shatter Ru's defenses. Ru saw the energy drill eating through his shield, "No you don't… Not that easy!" Ru manipulated his energy shield to spin in the opposite direction. The opposing force slowed Gohan's energy down and resisted its cutting effect. Gohan continued to the attack, but his concentration faltered for a moment causing him to slip slightly on the spinning motion of his sword.

Ru took notice of Gohan's slight mistake and immediately took full advantage. Ru's shield intensified for that brief moment allowing Ru to escape from under it. By the time Gohan noticed his opponent had moved Ru was right beside him. Ru kicked hard to the side of Gohan's head causing Gohan to drop the Realis. The great sword fell through the sky and approached the ground below where the others were watching from.

"You guys might want to move out of the way…" Phips said precariously as he tiptoed backward.

Trunks looked at the falling sword, "It's not going to land that close to…"

The sword impacted the earth creating a radiating tremor and sending mounds of dirt into the air in an explosive shockwave. Piccolo shielded his face from the debris thrown from the crater the sword created while attempting to keep his balance atop the trembling ground beneath his feet.

Goten pushed himself off the ground and stared at the hole in ground the fallen sword created, "Gosh, how heavy is that thing?"

Phips shook his head, "One time Gohan let go of it and it accidently landed on Shu's foot… I don't think I've ever heard a dead guy scream so loud… I'm surprised you didn't hear it here!" Phips visibly shivered.

Up in the air, Gohan and Ru grappled each other; pushing with all their strength and waiting for the right opportunity to land another blow.

"You can't keep this up much longer Sovereign, you're tiring out." Ru snickered.

Gohan grinned, "You're not exactly at your best right now either you know."

"But I am unending, I will go on and on, conquer all, and achieve all my ambitions. You… you'll fade away into nothingness, becoming just a memory, a passing dream!" Ru squeezed Gohan's fists tighter.

Looking down for a moment, Gohan caught a glimpse of Phips standing by Piccolo and the boys. His focus immediately returned to Ru and a smile crossed his face, "Sorry, but today… things are going to end my way!"

Ru's eyes cocked from the bold statement and his apprehension was enough lead for Gohan to flip him up and toss him back to the surface below.

The ground once again erupted as Ru collided with the rocks and stones of the earth. Majin Buu jumped from out of the shroud of dust and threw a punch, his arm extending ten feet, and struck Goku in the temple.

Goku shook off the attack quickly and lowered his stance while holding his hands at his side, "KA ME HA ME…" He began charging his energy to a single point at the side of his body.

Majin Buu followed suite and began charging energy at his side as well. Goku's eyes widened as Buu's mimicry ability once again stole a technique. Goku's expression turned serious as he focused on the struggle about to take place.

"HAAA!" Goku launched a huge blue beam which careened in a straight line toward its intended target.

"WAAA!" Majin Buu shouted as he fired a pinkish red energy wave back at Goku. The two beams met and created a gigantic epicenter. Goku pushed against the beam with all of his might; the two attacks appeared to be meeting with near equal force.

From the corner of his eye, Goku noticed Vegeta sneaking up behind Buu. The two made eye contact and Vegeta gave Goku the signal. Goku nodded and cancelled out his beam while hurriedly jumping out of the way. The pink kamehameha soared over Goku's head and flew off the distance where it finally exploded and decimated a mountain field.

Majin Buu began to laugh childishly as he found the wanton destruction amusing. His eyes popped open as he felt a sudden jab in his back, "Wha…?"

Vegeta stood directly behind Buu with Babidi's energy collector protruding from Buu's goopy flesh. Buu began to turn around but Goku quickly intervened and jumped on Buu holding him down, "Got you!"

"NOOOOO!" Buu screamed as his energy was siphoned off into the can.

"He's still so strong! I can barely hold him like this!" Goku struggled to keep Buu's arms pinned as Vegeta refused to let go of the collector.

"Just a little longer!" Vegeta encouraged while keeping the devices pressed as hard as he could.

"RAAAHHH!" Buu began to scream as torrents of smoke began to expel from his head, "LET GO OF BUU!"

The collector in Vegeta's hands began to pulsate with glowing light and vibrate. A loud hum was emitted as the energy levels filled.

"How much more energy do you think it can hold Vegeta?" Goku asked concerned.

"How the hell should I know? My guess would be not much more though…" The two kept Buu pinned as the collector exceeded its maximum and Buu continued to kick and scream. The smoke erupting from Buu's head was intensifying as Buu's screaming reached an ear shattering level and pitch.

The pulsation of the device was replaced by bright constant light and sound. The glow changed from yellow to bright white, "I THINK THIS IS IT!" Vegeta removed the collector and tossed it into the air. The container of energy made it a hundred feet into the sky from Vegeta's throw and exploded. The energy erupted upward shaking the earth from the tremendous force backing it as it basked the entire side of planet in light.

Once the light of the explosion faded, Goku and Vegeta looked over Buu's form. He was still on the ground and his pinkish hue was slightly blue. He was breathing with difficulty and seemed to be completely expelled of power.

"We did it!" Goku motioned triumphantly to Vegeta as they stood over the fallen villain.

Both Goku and Vegeta felt a sudden surge of power… a signature that perfectly matched Majin Buu. Looking down at the nearly unconscious blob on the ground they were sure it couldn't be coming from him.

Up in the sky the clouds of smoke which had blown from Majin Buu during his tantrum began taking shape and forming a body. Legs formed, covered in the same style pants worn by Majin Buu, followed by arms with gloved hands. A thin torso and head formed last revealing a skinny dark version of Majin Buu almost black in color. His eyes opened appearing completely black with red pupils.

"It's like an Evil Buu!" Goku cringed.

"I don't believe this…" Vegeta growled as he prepared himself for more fighting.

"This is just turning out to be one of those days huh…?" Goku stood by Vegeta's side, readying himself for the continuation of the battle as well.

Higher in the sky, Ru unrelentingly engaged Gohan in a fierce battle. Bent almost more on pride now than his mission, Ru had lost track of the happenings with Majin Buu and paid no mind to the explosions happening around them. He was focused solely on defeating the Sovereign who posed as his fighting equal.

Ru dashed with his knee extended into Gohan's stomach and smashed his elbow down over the back of Gohan's neck, "The Sovereignty has never defeated me! The Sovereignty _will_ never defeat me! _YOU_ will never defeat me!" Ru emphasized each statement with another bone shattering blow.

Gohan rolled off a punch and grabbed onto Ru's incoming fist and used his own momentum as leverage to pull Ru down into his own attack and crushed Ru's face with an open palm strike. His hands moved behind Ru's head and pushed him down as he rammed his knee into his enemy's face, knocking out a few teeth from the force of the blow.

The attack didn't faze Ru for long and he grabbed Gohan's leg and began swinging him around. He spun faster and faster, Gohan's leg still clutched in his grasp and finally released him on a trajectory to the ground below. Not satisfied, he launched a barrage of ki attacks after Gohan.

At least ten of the attacks hit Gohan on his way down and only sped his descent. Gohan hit the ground hard, his eyelids trembled as he tried to harness enough willpower them open again and get back up. He took a deep breath as his bloody fingers clenched into the sand beneath him and began to push himself to his feet.

Once his eyes opened, Gohan saw Piccolo and the others only a few hundred meters away. He made eye contact with Phips and called out, "Open a rift!"

Phips shook his head, "Where do I open it to?"

Piccolo heard the shout as well and used his connection with Gohan to relay Phips confusion, "Where do you want the rift opened to Gohan?"

"Just open the gate; I'll use my own energy to channel its direction!" Gohan shouted to Phips again as he bounded back up to the sky to keep Ru busy.

"What's he doing?" Piccolo asked with concern.

Phips put his hand together and began channeling his rifting powers, "I don't know! Normally we use dimensional rifts to either escape or take a battle elsewhere… But I can do all that myself… The only reason for him to direct the rift on his own would be if he wants to use the rift to open up a dimension I don't know about… yeah like he knows about a dimension that I don't!" Phips sounded offended but complied with Gohan's instructions.

Converting his rifting power into energy, Phips began to swirl dimensional essence between his hands. Sparks of energy came to life all around him and started spinning like a miniature galaxy with Phips at the center. Goten and Trunks stared at the sparkling energy mystified by its surreal beauty.

Not allowing Ru a chance to notice what was going on; Gohan dove up at him at full speed and spun them around so Ru's had his back to Phips' antics. The two continued to collide into each other creating bursts of energy which scattered into the air after every attack. The rumble from each blow still shook large stones down on the ground.

Ru dove at Gohan with his hand extended to swipe at Gohan's neck. Gohan flipped back out of way and kicked Ru up at the same time. Ru shook off the kick and countered with a spinning kick to the side of Gohan's cheekbone. The two both spun to the side and at the same moment lunged at each other with a fierce punch, their fists colliding in the air against each other.

In a move which seemed unnatural to Gohan, Ru completely dislocated his wrist and snaked his hand underneath Gohan's own and grabbed onto his arm tight. He pulled Gohan toward him as his other hand changed to energy and pointed at Gohan's chest. Gohan pulled his arm free and jumped to the side, but Ru's attack had already fired.

The light from the attack settled and Gohan's eyes were wide as he stared at Ru with shock and pain rattled across his face. Ru laughed as he saw Gohan's hands clutching onto a space at his abdomen where there was no longer anything there. The blast had taken out a good chunk of meat just above the boy's left hip.

Ru chuckled softly at first, but then broke out to full hysterics, "Poor, poor Sovereign… You knew what you were up against and yet you blundered forward anyway… How long do you think it will take for you to bleed to second death from a wound like that? This fight is over, I win!"

Gohan clenched his teeth, blood started dripping from his mouth, "You're right about the fight being over… But what you don't understand is that I've dealt with immortals before… and I know exactly how to stop you!"

Unconvinced at Gohan's heroic attitude, Ru crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow giving Gohan a smug look. Gohan used his remaining energy to burst his ki and move at super speed one more time. He emerged and grabbed Ru's arm tossing him up into the air.

"NOW!" Gohan shouted down to the surface.

Ru spun himself around and saw the spinning light on the ground below for the first time, "What… what are they trying to…"

"Here it comes!" Phips condensed and tossed the rift energy up to Gohan.

Gohan's hands began to glow as he caught the energy. He focused his power into the rift and the energy began to glow red. Not faltering for a moment, Gohan turned around and threw the energy at Ru.

Ru saw the energy coming at him and quickly rolled out of the way, completely dodging the small projectile, "Awww… your last hope and you missed!" The sound of glass shattering from only a few feet behind snapped Ru to attention. He turned around to look and noticed a hole in the sky, "What… what did you do…?"

From the hole, cracks began to grow, spreading through the air like a breaking windshield. Fractures of the sky began to fall from the crackling surface, and finally the entire atmosphere behind Ru shattered and revealed a swirling vortex of red and black behind it.

Ru turned and tried to fly away to escape, but his battle with Gohan left him weakened. The attracting force of the vortex was slowly but steadily pulling him in.

"Immortal!" Gohan called up grabbing Ru's attention. Ru looked down at Gohan angrily as he struggled as hard as he could against the strange rift, "Have fun in the Dead Zone!"

"YOU! RAAAHHH!" Ethereal hands of darkness enwrapped around Ru's body and pulled him inside, "THIS CAN'T HOLD ME FOR LONG! I WILL RETURN AND KILL YOU!" The last of Ru was drawn into the Dead Zone and Gohan waved his hand in front of it, shattering the entrance and returning the sky to normal.

A sleepy smile crept up Gohan's face. A flash of golden fire like ki washed over Gohan's body as his hair and eyes returned to black and he fell from the sky. Gohan was completely unconscious by the time Piccolo caught him.

Piccolo looked over Gohan's beaten form and smiled, "You did good kid…"

* * *

End Chapter


	18. Toil and Trouble

Chapter 18: Toil and Trouble

* * *

Piccolo grimaced as he noticed how badly injured Gohan was. The side of his torso looked like it took a bad grazing from a powerful energy wave and carved his body tissues right off. Blood was hemorrhaging out of the wound as Piccolo set him down and tried to apply pressure.

"We need to get him out of here, NOW!" Piccolo barked, causing Phips to run over.

Goten meekly watched from a little behind Trunks as Piccolo fussed over the boy who he was told was his big brother. Finally getting a good look at Gohan and seeing him all beat up only left him confused and scared.

Trunks noticed his best friend's apprehension and put a hand Goten's shoulder, "He'll be alright."

Phips inhaled a startled breath as he looked over his partner, "Leave it to you to get run over by an inter-dimensional freight train… let's see…"

Piccolo tried concentrating his energy and focused on healing Gohan again, but after pumping so much energy out before to help Gohan he hardly had any energy left.

Phips rummaged through what was left of Gohan's pockets making sure there wasn't anything still in them that could help, "We're all out of Panacea Crackers too… I hope he keeps sleeping this off because if he wakes up like this… man is he going to be cranky!"

A frightening glance from Piccolo told Phips to quit joking around. Phips chuckled to himself and slowly backed away. Looking over his shoulder, Piccolo noticed the worried expression on Goten's face and had to restrain himself from smiling at the sight of Goten fretting about a brother he'd never met before, "Don't worry, he's going to be fine."

Goten smiled weakly at Piccolo's reassurance.

A loud ear shattering scream demanded all of their attention up to the sky for a moment. The skinny Evil Majin Buu powered up to full and was ready to attack. His scream was filled with such anger, spite, and hatred that even Goku and Vegeta couldn't help but cringe.

"This just doesn't end…" Goku grumbled.

"Save your whining until after we've beaten this thing!" Vegeta powered up ready for another round of Buu battling.

"With any luck the energy we drained from the big one will affect this one too…" Goku's ki flared up as he prepared for the fight to go on as well.

"BUU KILL YOU ALL!" The Evil Buu yelled in a deep voice. He gathered energy insanely fast in his hands and strafed a large beam over both Goku and Vegeta causing a huge explosion of ground and rock and knocking the two saiyans to the ground.

"Nope, he's at full power isn't he?" Goku pushed himself up quickly and dropped into a fighting stance.

Vegeta flipped himself upright also, "Too bad, because he's still going down!" Vegeta burst into the sky and kicked high, striking the Majin in the chin. Not daring to stop, Vegeta flipped around after the kick with his hands extended and blasted Majin Buu with an enormous energy wave.

Buu's body oozed off of the energy wave from all sides and reformed behind Vegeta. "WHAT?" Vegeta looked over his shoulder in time for Buu's gloved hand to land on the side of his face and sent him spinning away.

Goku teleported in close and engaged Buu before he could turn around to face him. With energy collected in his hands, Goku blasted him in the back with a low powered stun beam which bought him just enough time to grab onto Buu's antenna from behind and kick him across the torso.

Majin Buu melted out of Goku's grip and turned around with dark purple energy built up in his hand which he used to blast Goku at close range. Even with such little reaction time Goku was able to counter Buu's blast with a quick kamehameha wave. The two attacks met in the few feet between the fighters and exploded sending them both barreling away.

Shaking off the effects of the explosion quickly, Goku saw Buu still falling in the other direction. Harnessing energy to hands he made the power spin, creating several energy disks. Goku threw a set of four disks at Majin Buu.

A humming sound in the air caused Buu to look up and notice the disks approaching. He wasn't able to dodge out of the way and the disks cut his body into several pieces.

"Did you get him?" Vegeta called as he flew back to Goku's side.

The pieces of the Evil Buu flopped on the ground but quickly melted into a large puddle and began reforming Buu's body. A small clump of the oozy mush separated from the rest of Evil Buu and slid under a stone.

Evil Buu was ready for more almost as if nothing had happened. Goku and Vegeta charged the evil creature together this time coordinated from both sides. Majin Buu blocked the first wave of attacks with his arms, but by the second assault he was only able to block Vegeta's blow and Goku successfully landed a kick to his gummy ribs. Buu's eyes widened in actual pain from the attack and allowed Vegeta to follow up with a fierce punch to the stomach.

With his anger only swelling further, Buu threw his arms up into the air creating a huge sphere of power which expanded around him and pushed the two saiyans away, "RRRAAAAHHHHH!"

Goku and Vegeta were knocked back by the attack, but were hardly fazed, "This Buu is different…" Goku mumbled to himself and turned to confirm his suspicions, "Hey Vegeta… are you sensing what I'm sensing?"

Vegeta smirked as his gaze remained locked on the skinny Evil Buu, "I believe I am!"

"He has a definite power level! And it's weakening!" Goku shouted, and with renewed enthusiasm the two saiyans dashed back into the brawl with the dark terror.

The two flared their kis and flew head on into Buu. Evil Buu prepared his defenses, but only centimeters before impact the two saiyans disappeared to the sides throwing Buu off his equilibrium. Vegeta appeared to Buu's right and began a fierce physical assault, punching at every opening he could find. Vegeta's punches were wild and Buu was having to spend too much time blocking to be able to concentrate on fighting back. Vegeta noticed Buu was stuck in defense and took the opportunity to grab onto Buu's wrist and slung him high into the air.

Buu rolled into the sky trying to regain control over his movements. By the time he finally stopped himself he saw Goku only a short distance away with another energy beam charged at his side. "HAAA!" Goku released the wave quickly and the energy tore through Buu as he was tossed in yet another direction.

With a great heave, Majin Buu was able to throw the energy wave off of him in a skyward trajectory. Vegeta appeared in that instant intent on continuing the melee combat; however Buu backhanded him across the jaw knocking him away. The vibrations in the air told him Goku was approaching with enough time to back kick Goku across the head.

The three halted their efforts for a moment and entered a stare down. All three combatants appeared to be nearly out of breath; however it was obvious that the combined powers of Goku and Vegeta were holding out a little better than Majin Buu.

Goku decided to try one last time at reasoning with the creature, "Face it Buu! You've lost!" He was sure Buu's power was fading as it was becoming more apparent how Buu was having a harder time keeping up with them. "Stop this violence and we can find you a home where you can live your life in peace."

The red irises of Evil Buu began to glow ominously, and his power spiked, "Buu no lose…" Buu uttered low and menacingly, "BUU NEVER LOSE!"

"Here it comes…" Vegeta lowered his stance, ready for whatever trick this Buu was about to unleash.

Evil Buu let out a loud yell as he powered up and then surprisingly used his energy to propel himself in the opposite direction.

Goku watched wide eyed as Buu flew off into the air, "Is he running away?"

"I've got a bad feeling Kakarot…" Vegeta flew after him with Goku close behind.

The skinny Buu noticed the two saiyans in pursuit of him and clapped his hands together behind him creating a shockwave strong enough to slow the two down, allowing him to gain more distance.

"What is he doing?" Goku clenched his teeth confused by Buu's antics.

"Now Buu… come to me!" Buu shouted toward the ground.

Goku and Vegeta looked down and noticed a piece of grey ooze had made its way over to the still unconscious fat Buu. The goop grew and ensnared the other Majin like a sprung trap. The goop condensed in size and launched to the sky toward the Evil Buu.

Vegeta saw the blob rocketing through the sky and tried to intercept it with a blast of energy, but the Evil Buu jumped in the way taking the hit as he collided and merged with his missing mass. Majin Buu immediately lost his shape leaving only a floating ball of dark matter in the sky.

"His power's rising!" Goku shouted sensing the difference immediately with Buu becoming whole again.

Limbs protruded from within the sphere, thick and muscular. The Sphere condensed in size forming a torso and huge upper body. The head seemed to fold up from out of the back, and eyes opened revealing the same evil look as before. The viscous skin covering Majin Buu darkened to a charcoal color as two horn like ears protruded from his head rather than an antenna.

"Great… now he actually looks threatening…" Vegeta scowled as Buu's transformation completed.

This new Dark Buu glared down at the two saiyans below him baring sharp fangs. Buu's fists clenched tight and he disappeared from sight with his new speed and bowled both Goku and Vegeta over with the force of a thundering stampede. Goku shook off the hit quickly and leapt at the Dark Buu to try and get a hit in. Before Goku was near enough to touch him, Buu easily latched onto Goku's skull with his longer arm length and repeatedly rammed his other fist into Goku's stomach, "Stupid, stupid man! You never beat Buu!" Goku grunted with each strike until Vegeta was on the approach again. Buu saw Vegeta coming and tossed Goku into him as hard as he could. The two saiyans tumbled through the air and crashed into the rocky cliff side below.

Goku slowly crawled back up to his feet groaning, "He's strong Vegeta… really strong…" His vision began to blur as he stumbled back down to his knees. A wave of nausea hit him as he coughed out blood and a flash of golden flames signified he had lost his super saiyan status.

Vegeta grit his teeth tight realizing Buu's power had increased a great amount somehow since he absorbed the other fat Buu even though he'd hardly any power left. With both he and Goku fatigued their chances at victory were slim, "Kakarot, do you have enough power to use Instant Transmission?"

Goku slapped his head to try and block out the dizziness, "Yeah, I can still do that."

"Then go collect everyone while I keep it busy… Once you have everyone we'll fall back until we can decipher a better plan…" Vegeta didn't like the idea of running away at all but he realized there was much more at stake and they needed time.

"Alright, but be careful Vegeta," Goku put two fingers to his head while concentrating on Yamcha's life force and teleported to him.

Dark Buu noticed Goku vanish and tried to follow his movement. Vegeta wasn't going to give him the chance and was in his face in an instant. Deciding using long range energy attacks would be his greatest weapon Vegeta prepared his attack, "RENZOKU!" He rapidly fired hundreds of energy beams at Dark Buu, but the Majin just pushed through them like they were only annoying.

Goku had Yamcha in one hand and teleported to Krillin, "Looks like you've seen better days," he placed an arm on Krillin's shoulder to move him away.

Krillin opened an eye, "Aww you should have seen it, we were kicking butt for a while there Goku…"

"I bet, come on now then," They teleported away to the larger group.

Buu was pushing forward so Vegeta poured everything he had left into his energy offensive, blasting the Dark Buu with intense power beams. He managed to start pushing Buu back, but Buu powered up out of anger and flared his dark ki to a level able to shield himself from the saiyan prince's onslaught and flew straight through the beams. Vegeta didn't notice Buu rocketing through his attack until it was too late to dodge and Buu's large fist impacted his chest.

As Vegeta was flipped over by the strike, Buu grabbed the long golden hair and used it to swing Vegeta around continuously slamming him from one rocky surface to another, crumbling the solid stone surfaces with his body. Once he was sure Vegeta wouldn't be putting up much more of a fight, Buu simply tossed him into the air and threw an energy ball after him which exploded on impact.

Goku watched horrified as Vegeta took the brunt of Buu's attack, "I need to get Vegeta out of there, but Buu isn't going to give me the time I need to move…"

Piccolo grunted watching the terrifying display of strength as well. He caught sight of Phips nearby watching with his mouth agape, "Hey! You're supposed to be some kind of aide to the Kais, isn't there anything you can do to help him?"

Phips looked up at Piccolo for a moment then back at the action, "I can… I can… I can… Wait… YES! I could pull an object in from another dimension which should distract him hopefully long enough to get Vegeta away from him!"

"THEN DO IT!" Piccolo ordered.

"Gee Mister Cranky…" Phips ran out into the field and began charging up his rifting powers. "OK, Goku right? You need to be ready to move in quick because I can't guarantee whatever comes out is going to have Buu's attention for any more than a split second! Heck I'm not sure we're going to get anything more than a teapot or some dirty dishes out of this…"

Everyone blinked a few times out of confusion to Phips strange comments, but Goku put his fingers to his forehead in preparation anyway.

"Alright now, here we go! RIFT SHIFT!" Phips shouted and with a wave of his arms he opened a doorway to another universe in the sky above Majin Buu.

At first nothing else seemed to be happening. As the hole grew a loud metal clank was heard above the field but still nothing came out. Phips cocked his head to the side and concentrated on expanding the hole a little further and was able to give whatever was there enough room to drop all the way through. Finally, what appeared to be a large red robot fell from the rift and landed in a prone position a few meters behind the Dark Buu.

Dark Buu jumped in surprise at the loud metallic clang from behind him and momentarily turned his focus away from Vegeta.

"Huh?" Phips looked confused as he studied over the thing he called to this realm. It was metal with a large round torso but had thin arms and legs. Atop its stubby head were two pointy ears which resembled rather closely those of an earth cat.

Majin Buu looked menacingly at the robot. He growled looking as if he were about to attack the newcomer.

A low pitched "DONG" sound came from the robot as its eyes lit up in perfectly round yellow circles and it stood on its feet. It assumed a wide stance and its arms arched back looking as if it were readying itself for battle. Everyone watched in anticipation wondering if this robot was actually going to try and fight Majin Buu.

Instead of a battle, music started playing and the robot pulled out a microphone and began to… sing… "They call me Gato… I have metal joints… Beat me up… And earn 15 Silver Points! "

"Works for me!" Goku said disappearing to retrieve Vegeta.

"You mock Buu!" Majin Buu flew at the huge mechanical singer. As Majin Buu approached, Gato's arms lifted into the air and a hatch opened on its chest launching a rocket propelled boxing glove into Buu's face. Not expecting the midsection attack, Buu was rocketed away by the punch into a nearby cliff side kicking up dust and rocks from the hard collision.

Phips, Piccolo, and the boys watched completely astonished as Buu was knocked away and the robot continued to dance and sing.

Goku grabbed onto Vegeta who had also been knocked out of his super saiyan state and teleported him back to the group. Once they appeared Goku outstretched his arm, "Everyone grab on!"

Dark Buu burst from the fallen rocks in a horrible fury and dove through the air with a ball of energy collecting in his hand. He stopped a few meters off of the red robot and threw the energy ball at Gato, exploding it on contact.

Gato's head was blown off and flew through the air. It landed a few meters away and the lights in the eye sockets began to fade, "I lost… You won… Here's 15 Points… Now wasn't than fun! "

All of the Z-Warriors present were teleported away before Dark Buu pulled his eyes off the strange red robot. He looked around confused for a moment not seeing anyone nearby anymore. He walked around the battlefield and only heard a strange rattling and thumping.

Majin Buu came across the cliff where his egg encasement still laid discarded. Beside the prison was a small gift box bouncing around with a muffled yell coming from the inside. Dark Buu kneeled down and began to unwrap the well decorated present.

Dende had been watching the happenings of earth from atop the lookout. It hardly surprised him when Goku suddenly appeared with the others in tow close by on the temple grounds.

"Are you alright?" Dende yelled running over to them.

"I think we've all seen better days…" Vegeta groaned as he tried not to slump over.

"Give me a moment and I'll heal you all," Dende was quick to care for the group.

Goku motioned the earth's guardian to the form still clutched in Piccolo's arms, "Please heal Gohan first Dende."

"Gohan, right!" Dende held his hands over the boy and a light and high pitched ticking washed over Gohan's body. The tear at Gohan's side filled back in and his cuts and gashes healed over leaving only dried blood.

Dende squinted his eyes from strain as he pumped healing energy into Gohan, "I've almost healed all of his wounds, but I'm not going to be able to restore his energy yet… it runs very deep."

"That's alright Dende, he can rest to restore his strength," Piccolo breathed at ease now that Gohan looked better.

Dende moved across the line healing the other Z-Warriors who had been injured in the battle. Piccolo lifted Gohan and took him to one of the rooms in the temple to recover.

"So what's the plan Goku?" Krillin asked once Dende healed him.

"For right now we wait, we need everyone at full power. Once we've all recovered we should be able to take Majin Buu down. I just hope he doesn't go on a rampage in the mean time…" Goku winced as he crossed his arms and paced.

Phips nodded, "The fights were actually pretty close until Buu absorbed himself back there. If you two and Gohan were to fight together I'm sure Majin Buu wouldn't stand a chance!"

Goku assessed Phips for a moment, "Oh yeah, that reminds me, just who are you anyway?"

Phips poked his thumb at his chest, "Just call me Phips, I'm an otherworld aide who was promoted to Sovereign Assistant!"

Piecing some of it together finally, Goku smiled, "Oh, so you're here with Gohan?" Vegeta shook his head feeling it should have been obvious since the two were dressed similarly.

"Yes, he and I go way back! We've been palling around since… hmmm… probably since he died I guess!" Phips chuckled.

Goku winced at the memory of Gohan's death and nodded, "Has he been… alright?"

Phips nodded quickly, "He's been doing great! Everyone back on the Sovereign planet loves him! He pushes himself hard and has gotten really strong, but as much as he improves he just never stops talking about how much of a hero you are Goku."

A faintly happy sigh escaped Goku's mouth, "I'm just glad to know he's well."

Piccolo returned from the temple and approached the group again, "Well we seem to have bit of time while we wait for everyone to recover and you seem to know much." Piccolo looked down at Phips as he approached. Phips worriedly scrunched his face looking as if he were contemplating backing away from the intimidating namek. A reassuring grin which formed on Piccolo's face put him at ease, "How did he get so strong?"

Phips laughed, "Oh there's a story… OK I'll tell you. Maybe we should all find a place to sit down."

"Then if you want to follow me this way, we can get more comfortable," Dende led them out of the sun and into one of sitting chambers inside the temple.

"Maybe it'd be best if I started from the beginning," Phips began as he hopped up onto a chair. Goten and Trunks sat on the floor in front of him and even Krillin and Yamcha looked eager to hear whatever he was about to say. Vegeta leaned against a wall towards the back of the room, but Phips could tell he was still listening in.

"Well then, when I first met Gohan…"

* * *

End Chapter

OK that fight is finally over! If you include the fight between Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan then that battle took… seven chapters? Wow that's over a third of the story so far… Good thing this is Dragon Ball. And no, this is not a cross-over fic, but I do reserve the right for Phips to do whatever the heck he wants! It's a shame ff dot net won't let me use ascii symbols because in my version of the story I had the music notes in place while Gato was singing. Ha, I've been waiting to pull that rabbit out of the hat for a while! Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, and please leave some comments!

Edit 7/11/09:

I was actually expecting more Gato comments… so now I'm worried a lot of the readers don't know where that came from. There's an awesome video on youtube of Gato in action, so if you'd like to see the awesomeness that is Gato (Gonzalez in the Japanese Chrono Trigger and OVA) then paste this link after the dot com on youtube!

/watch?v=A6xqwBXT3kw


	19. NonChapter:: The Original

Hey everyone!

This isn't an update to the story, so feel free to skip over this non-chapter entirely, but I thought it would be interesting to post. As most readers are aware, this is not the first time I've published ZAT:Immortal. It's a story I originally wrote when I was twelve years old, and have just never shaken it off I guess.

The last time it was posted on fanfiction dot net was the second time I had written the story. Well I was skimming through the files I still have of that version looking for ideas I want to keep when I stumbled across a file still saved in the archives of my computer… I actually couldn't believe I still had it since it was written on Corel Word Perfect 8... which is old! So this chapter actually contains the original script from the FIRST time the story was written. Yes, in its complete unedited content, I give you Dragon Ball Z AT The Immortal Saiyan, as written by a twelve year old. Oh boy…

When I was twelve I never finished the story, so this non-chapter does not contain any spoilers for anything that is yet to come in the new edition. The only reason I'm really posting this at all is basically to make fun of myself. I had so many inconsistent concepts, bad grammatical errors, ideas that really didn't make much sense, as well as ideas that were just plain silly… But it's also because of the faults that I find in my own writing that I do my best to be as patient as I can with others when I beta read and review stories to leave constructive feedback. I know someone with enough passion to do anything like write a story has amazing potential to do many great things when properly harnessed and focused in the right direction.

Enough nostalgia, on to the poking!

**Dragon Ball Z**

**Alternate Tales**

**Series 1**

**The Immortal Saiyan**

The day of the Cell Games was at hand, All of the Z Fighters had gathered in anticipation of the tournament, along with several other challengers who had really idea who they were up against. The most annoying of which, Mr. Satan, who spent his time boasting his strength and trying to mock the other contenders.

They were all dealt with quickly by Cell. Goku was the first of the Z Fighters to challenge Cell, and the first to lose. Give up actually. He mentioned there was someone more powerful than he, and that he, not Goku, would defeat Cell.

Goku arose and placed his arms on Gohan's shoulders. After much discussing Gohan agreed to fight Cell. And no one seemed to happy about that.

At first none of the spectators took Gohan seriously. To them he appeared to be but a boy. But he proved his word by taking on Cell. In his first attempt Gohan was pummeled. Cell decided to taunt him, claiming victory, and creating his Cell Jr.'s which he commanded to destroy the Z-Fighters. Gohan watched horrified as his friends were being massacred, including his father. Android 16 was destroyed and seemed all hope was lost.

Gohan could no longer stand watching what was taking place around him, and his new rage escalated, pushing him to a higher power of Super Saiyan.

In his new form, he quickly put a stop to the Cell Jr.'s and set his sites on Cell himself. Cell at first appearing eager to fight was quickly stopped in a mere 2 blows. Infuriated he began attacking wildly, increasing his strength and size hoping to stop Gohan. But with a mighty punch to the gut, Cell released android 18 and reverted back to a previous form.

Although he was down, Cell was not out. He began to grow again, building his energy for a self-destruct. By the time anyone noticed, it was too late. Any attack now would just ignite him.

Gohan fell to his hands and knees. He felt foolish for letting Cell get this far. He had the power to stop him before, yet he waited, craving for the battle to continue, to watch Cell's suffering.

He looked back at his friends, and his father, who starred wide-eyed at the monster growing before them. Gohan made his decision. This was his fault the monster had gotten this far. He stood and looked to his friends, and threw them a smile. They caught it, but were unsure what it meant.

Gohan turned back to Cell and began powering up. He used his power to create an energy shield encasing both him and Cell. Then he lifted them both into the air.

"GOHAN!!! NO!!" He heard his friends screaming at him in protest but didn't care.

Once they were high in the atmosphere, Gohan clasped his hands at his sides. "Ka Me Ha Me" His energy was forming into his attack. He would ignite Cell high above the earth. With his energy shield, the earth would sustain little damage. But he knew the shield would only last as long as he could live. So he would blast Cell from here to make sure Cell would be gone forever.

Cell was panicking, he wasn't at all sure what was going on.

Gohan took one last look at the earth below, "HAAAAA!!!" he let loose his kamehameha wave, the largest one he had ever conjured. It impacted Cell, and as expected, he exploded. Gohan could feel the pain, but he knew he had to hold on to his energy shield as long as he could. He made sure every last bit of Cell was decimated. Then he was engulfed by the explosion.

On the surface, Goku, along with everyone else looked up in horror, wide eyed, and mouths gaping. They saw the bright light of the wave, and the explosion. Then the concentrated area the light was contained in erupted, and the explosion shattered rocks on the surface below.

Goku looked up through the dust, and pounded the ground with his fist, "GOHAN!!!!!!!"

Vegeta closed his eyes and bowed his head, "Such honorable sacrifice..."

Trunks couldn't believe it. He felt that once again he had been sitting on the side lines while Gohan was killed.

Piccolo was straining back tears. He along with the rest felt they had been useless. They couldn't help Gohan. And now he was gone. Piccolo placed a hand on Goku's shoulder who was still weeping on the ground. "We should go." Goku looked at him. "Look Goku, the longer we wait here, the longer Gohan will have to wait in the other world."

Goku suddenly shot up. "The Dragon Balls, we have to get to them right away!" and in a flash, he had teleported them all to Kami's look out.

Mr. Satan pulled himself out of the rocks just in time to see everyone disappear. He wondered into the midst of where the fight had been taking place. He looked around somewhat confused, and finally the rest of the crew he was with uncovered themselves.

The announcer shouted into his microphone, "I don't believe this, the fight is over, we are all still alive, and Mr. Hercule Satan is the only one still standing!"

Everyone gaped at Mr. Satan for a few more moments, and finally it was sinking into Mr. Satan's head that they all believed that he had defeated Cell.

"Mr. Satan, what happened, I'll I remember is the bright light in the sky, then we were berried under the rocks."

"Ha..haha," Mr. Satan thought for a moment, "Well you see, they were all doing their silly flashy stuff, and I finally got sick of it, so I walked right in there, pulled them out of their little hiding places, shut off their fireworks machine and gave Cell the pounding of his life... yeah, so he's gone."

"Really? And what about the others that were here?"

"Oh them? Well they thanked me for saving their lives and took off."

The Z Fighters, meantime, were gathered at Kami's lookout, and were calling forth the dragon. It arose as the sky darkened, "You have summoned me, so I will grant you two wishes."

They all looked up at the dragon and thought carefully on how to word their wish.

Goku stepped forward, "I think I have it, We can wish Gohan and everyone else Cell killed back at the same time by wishing that everyone Cell killed be brought back."

They all nodded, so Goku continued, "Dragon! I wish that all the people killed by Cell be brought back to life!"

The Dragons eyes glowed red, "So be it!" The eyes glowed even brighter, and stayed that way for several moments, then faded back, "Your wish, has been granted."

Goku stopped, "Wait, I still don't feel Gohan's power." He looked to Piccolo.

Piccolo was looking very frustrated, "Neither can I." He thought for minute, "The dragon might not have brought Gohan back to life, since technically, Gohan gave his life to save the earth, it may not have been included as a kill for Cell."

Goku nodded, "Well then, we'll use the second wish on bringing just Gohan back!" Goku turned back to the Dragon, "For my second wish, I wish that you bring my son, Gohan, back to life!"

The dragons eyes gave off their red glow again, "So be it!" The dragon grumbled and worked to fulfill the wish. And soon, it's eyes lost their glow, "It cannot be done."

"What?! Why?!" Everyone was nearly shouting the same thing at the same time.

"The one called Gohan is on a plane beyond my reach, it is not within my power to bring him back." Goku sank to his knees again. He couldn't believe it, he didn't know what to do. For now, there was nothing he could do, he had to go tell Chichi about what happened.

All of the Z Fighters had a moment of silence, they had all lost a very deer friend.

Gohan awoke in a strange place. There was light, and not much else around him besides the ground, it reminded him of the hyperbolic chamber.

"Am I dead?" He looked around, and finally looked up, and saw a halo above his head, "I guess that means yes." He stood up. "This sure isn't how I pictured the other world would be."

"Other world, who ever said this was the other world?" Gohan whirled at the sound of the voice. There was a little green elf like person standing next to him. Gohan tilted his head in confusion. This is the land of lost souls!"

"Huh?" Gohan was really confused now.

"Yes, the land of lost souls, don't you know anything?"

"Well, I just got here you know?"

"Excuses, excuses."

"Well how'd I get here."

"I'm not even really to sure how it happens, just every so often someone new drops in, like their spirit gets caught somewhere in the interdimensional rift and gets set down here of all places!"

"Are you one of these lost souls?"

"No, you are, I'm just the caretaker!"

Gohan looked around, "Well how do I get out of here?"

"Ha! I'm glad you asked! You see, every lost soul has to go through certain tests, these tests determine a persons character, and ability, and a lot of other stuff."

"What for?"

"To see if they are worthy of the great prize that awaits them, duh!"

"OK, so where do I start?"

"Well, you already failed the I.Q. test!" Gohan looked at the elf with suddenly large surprised eyes. "Just kidding, actually, I'm not sure where to put, you're the first person I've ever seen here to still have a body!"

"So do I have to complete some kind of physical test?"

"Sure why not?"

"Right... So where to?"

"Well first, you can scale that cliff!"

"What cliff?" Gohan asked as he suddenly felt the ground behind him shift up his back, and keep on growing.

"That one!"

Gohan turned around and looked up, it looked perfectly smooth, and extended above the reach of his viewing range. "Wow, OK, no problem I guess."

"Sure kid." With that Gohan leaped into the air, and rapidly accelerated upward. The little green elf man jumped back with a start. In a couple of seconds, Gohan was standing at the top, and screamed back down, "Ok, now what?" Suddenly the ground beneath his feet retracted and began plummeting back to the ground. It stopped and Gohan was facing a confused elf man.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

"Easy," Gohan replied, "I jumped!"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Gohan, and your name?"

"Phillips"

Gohan shook his hand. "Nice to meet you Phillips, so what's next?"

"Next? NEXT! Next you can get us both out of here!"

Gohan had been walking with Phillips for a while now. He had heard nearly his entire story, of him trying to become an ogre for one of the kings, but he just didn't fit the part, and after a rather embarrassing accident of playing with King Yemmas stamps, and sending King Yemma to Hell by accident, he was banished from other world to this land of lost souls. It appeared that it was guarded by some force or puzzle at the end which Phillips manipulating powers couldn't get through.

Gohan nodded taking everything in. Phillips was even now apparently leading them to the exit. But even Phillips wasn't sure what lied on the other side. He had been teleported in from elsewhere, so he had no idea what could actually be connected to this world.

"What about the incredible prize at the end?"

"Oh, that was just a story I made up to impress the tourists."

As they reached the end, Gohan definitely felt like he was pushing against some kind of barrier that prevented further movement, "Have any ideas on what to do next?"

"Well, the only progress I've made is this." He paused and cleared his throat, "What am I supposed to do now?!" he yelled seemingly into the air.

To Gohan's surprise he got a reply, "The serpents tail holds the key."

"Whoa! Freaky."

"Yeah huh?"

Gohan thought for a moment, "I heard something about a snake once, my dad had to run this thing called snake way that extended for something like 10,000 miles. It looked supposedly like a giant snake."

"Really? And what did the snakes tale hold?"

"I didn't here if it held anything, but that was where King Ki's planet is.

"The Ki..." The voice sounded again.

They both turned to the barrier. It changed colors and disappeared.

The both starred for a moment, then Phillips began jumping up and down, "You mean that all I've had to do all this time was say the word Ki?!"

Gohan shrugged. They walked past where the barrier had once been. And before long encountered another barrier.

"Great, what now?!" Phillips asked.

"The galaxies separation contains the pieces." A voice that sounded like the first was echoing now.

"That's not to bad." Phillips thought, "If we were to take your approach to this we might as well say there are four pieces."

"The four quadrants of the galaxy." The voice said again, and like the first, the barrier was lifted.

"Wow," Gohan looked passed where the barrier had been, "Is this like some kind of trivia quest? I wonder if there will be anymore of these."

In fact there were. They had made it past six barriers. At the seventh, there was no question, it just immediately lifted as they approached it.

"That's new," Phillips spoke up. Gohan nodded. Then they noticed something inside moving towards them. Some tall figure. As it approached, it became recognizable, it was Cell.

Gohan jumped back and immediately transformed into his second Super Sayan state. "Phillips, take cover!" Gohan shouted as Cell lifted his arm and let out a blast of energy.

Fortunately Phillips was able to avoid it, and Gohan leaped into action. He and Cell were having a fist fight of the century. Immediately Gohan saw that Cell was much more powerful than he had been before. And he was even in his perfect state.

Gohan's mind wandered, thinking how can this be happening, but as he was pondering, Cell found an opening and attacked. Gohan was flung backwards.

He sat up, anger visible from his expression as he wiped the blood from his lip. He lunged back at Cell and attacked with greater ferocity. But Cell was matching his every move.

From the side, Phillips noticed that whoever this was, he had no halo. He either wasn't dead, or... he was something else...

Gohan was still fighting, he wasn't getting especially banged up, but he noticed he wasn't making much progress either.

"Gohan!" Phillips yelled across the field, "He's not real, he's a mental incarnation!"

"Huh," Gohan looked towards Phillips and was rewarded with a punch in the face, "He feels real to me!"

"Gohan, attack him in your mind, he's strong because your mind is allowing him to become stronger, fight him in your mind, and halt your physical attack!"

Gohan stopped and tried to comply, and noticed Cell stopped too. He pictured himself destroying Cell with ease, obliterating him with the anger he felt towards him for his evil deeds. The Cell in front of him actually began writhing in pain. In a flash of light and blue smoke, it disappeared.

Phillips ran over to Gohan. "See, you did it!"

Gohan looked over to Phillips.

Phillips was looking at Gohan funny now. "And your hair is yellow and really spiked up now."

"Yeah, that's what happens when you transform into a super Sayan."

"It's a good look for you," Phillips didn't argue any further. Instead he looked through the gate, "Care to proceed?"

"I suppose we could."

They followed the trail beyond the seventh barrier and found a stair case that led up. They followed it and came to a big stone door that was situated above them. Gohan stepped forward and pushed it up and open.

They looked through and saw a large field, with green grass and trees. They climbed out and noticed a large palace in front of them. From this palace was a figure about Gohan's height if not just a little taller that was walking towards them.

"Greetings." The figure spoke.

Gohan and Phillips looked at each other.

"Well don't you two look confused, I am the Sovereign Ki, watcher of the multi dimensional universes."

Phillips eyes grew wide, "You mean, the BIG boss?"

"Why yes, and you must be Phillips, well I am glad to see that you have finally passed the tests."

"The tests?"

"Yes, the seven tests that followers of the Ki's must pass."

"Did I?"

"Yes you did, and now, if you'd like, you can stay at my side."

Phillips was speechless, it was like a dream come true, but before he could say anything else, the Ki was looking Gohan up and down.

"Ah, and you must be Gohan."

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"You didn't think your little fight with Cell would peak the interests of those with a high seat?"

"Well, I guess, I really hadn't thought about it."

"Well, believe me, it definitely got my attention, that's why you were brought to the path of lost souls instead of the gateway at earth. That way you would bypass everyone else and come directly here."

Gohan looked around again, "Why exactly did you bring me here though?"

"Because, I saw your great potential. I saw that your abilities are near limitless. And I was curious."

"Curious about what?"

"Curious to find out how much you could improve if I were to train you in new abilities and techniques." Gohan was shocked. The Ki wanted him to become stronger. He didn't understand it all, but his Sayan blood accepted the challenge of more training, and the opportunity to become stronger.

"What do you say Gohan, will you accept my offer?"

Gohan smiled, "You bet!"

"Good, we can soon begin." The Ki was interrupted by a grumbling noise though, "What was that?"

"Ah, sorry," Gohan apologized, "But can we eat first, I'm kinda hungry."

The Ki and Phillips watched in amazement as Gohan inhaled everything that placed in front of him. It was an unusual site to the least, to find bowls of food nearing the hundreds being emptied in seconds.

Gohan put the last one down, "Ah, good stuff!"

The Ki looked at Gohan unsure of what to make of this, "Are you... full?"

"Yeah, thanks, it was delicious!"

"Your welcome."

"So when can we begin training?"

"Whenever you are ready Gohan."

"Great, let's start now!"

First the Ki wanted to see what Gohan was capable of. He wanted Gohan to power up to the max of his abilities. Gohan did as he was told and the Ki watched Gohan power up in his second level of Super Sayan.

Once he was done the Ki nodded in approval, "Your power is extraordinary!" True, Gohan was very proud of the level of power he had attained while fighting Cell. "At a level like that I can teach you nearly every technique I know. How did you train yourself to be ready for a level of strength like that?"

Suddenly, Gohan found himself thinking about his father, and even Piccolo, who had trained him. The training techniques Goku had taught him, like staying a super Sayan for long periods of time to increase his durability.

"Well, I guess I can train now by staying in this form for as long as possible. If I get used to this higher transformation I should be able to become a lot stronger."

"Can you retain your transformed state long enough to do that?"

"That's the challenge!"

In the time that followed, Gohan spent nearly an entire month in his super Sayan level 2 form. Finally he felt comfortable enough to begin straining even more power.

"Gohan, are you ready to learn the techniques I have to teach you?" The Ki was already impressed that Gohan had attained this much flexibility in his new form so quickly, but he still wanted to find out how far his powers could be pushed.

Gohan nodded, "Yeah, I'm ready." The Ki was about to say something else when Gohan cut in suddenly, "I'm sorry, but do you think you can teach me the Instant Transmission?"

"The Instant Transmission? Why?"

"Well you see, my dad learned it while on Yardratt, and I always wondered how it worked."

"I see, so be it!"

The Ki started out by teaching Gohan some of the techniques Goku had learned while he was away from earth, such as the Instant Transmission, and Kaioken.

He learned very quickly how to manipulate energy. To form different shapes, attacks and traps with it. All the while he was learning techniques, he was still training with his physical strength, and energy abilities.

The Ki was beginning to think that there really was no limit to this boys power. He learned everything so quickly, nearly as fast as his power level was skyrocketing.

With all of the training, Gohan was beginning to look rather cruddy in his shredded Piccolo outfit. The Ki decided to give Gohan an outfit of his own.

He placed it on Gohan, and as the light faded, Gohan saw he had black boots, seemingly made from some kind of metal, with gold lacings on them. He had blue pants, with a large black belt. He had a black tank top under a blue vest and black wrist guards near his hands. He thought it looked a lot like his dads suit, only different colors. It was pretty cool.

The Ki decided that it was time for Gohan to attempt to retrieve the Z-saber. A sword that had been passed down from Ki's from ages long ago.

"Gohan, you should know, it will not be easy to wield the Z-saber, it's weight surpasses anything else in the universe."

"Don't worry, I'm up to the challenge."

"Good, the sword lies in the chamber behind me." The Ki pointed to the doors behind them and opened them. In the room behind them was a large pedestal with steps leading up to it. Situated at the top was a sword set into a mound of stone.

Gohan and the Ki stepped up to it. "Are you ready Gohan?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Then pull the sword from its resting place!"

Gohan put his hands around the swords hilt, and started pulling upwards. To his surprise, the sword didn't even move. He pulled harder, putting all of his strength into it. He was powering up trying to reach more power to help him lift it out. The sword shifted but did not come out. Finally Gohan reached his max, and the sword came out with a thrust that sent Gohan flying into the wall.

The Ki ran over to Gohan, "Are you hurt?"

"No," Gohan muttered and got his feet still holding the sword. It was heavy, he could barely lift it.

They left the palace, and Gohan returned to his training, only now he was using the sword as a weight, and also learning how to use it in combat.

In a very short amount of time, Gohan was used to the weight of the Z-Saber. And was using it with less and less effort. Soon, he could even use it while he wasn't transformed into a super Sayan.

Gohan was becoming more powerful by the day, but this didn't have nearly the shock that the Ki got when Gohan talked to him next.

"I'm ready to ascend to the next level."

"What was that?"

Gohan was still in his Super Sayan 2 form, he was perfectly used to it by now. "I've mastered this form, and I feel a new level ahead of me. I have to reach it."

"You mean that you believe there is a third transformation for you to reach?!"

"Absolutely."

"Well, how would you go about reaching it?"

"I need to be in a threatening situation, can you make one?"

"What?"

Phillips came in, "Oh, you mean like that mind fighter you faced in the path of lost souls?"

"Yes, like that Cell that appeared! Ki, if you can bring him back out and give him power equal to mine, or even greater, it could trigger another transformation!"

"I don't like it. Taking a fighter out of your mind, with more power than you, it could be very dangerous."

"But it has to be, otherwise I can't reach levels that are any higher than I'm already at. Please."

The Ki took a big sigh, "Fine, but I'm pulling it back the instant something goes wrong."

"It's not like it'd be able to kill me you know?"

"Yes, but, oh,... get ready!"

Gohan got into a fighting stance, and got ready for the attack. And right before him, a being was constructed out of thin air. Again it took the shape of Cell. And immediately it attacked him. Gohan blocked all of the blows it dished out though, "No! It has to be stronger than me!"

Cell punched Gohan right in the stomach, and slammed him against the ground. Then he leaped into the air and began charging a Kamehameha wave.

Gohan got up just in time to the energy wave coming at him. He quickly fired a counter blast, but it soon became apparent that Cells blast was still going to hit him. Again, he began to think of the actual fight with Cell. How the Cell Jr.'s attacked his friends. How everyone was dying.

Suddenly he felt a ranging anger through his heart. And in an instant of desperation, he unleashed a huge energy wave that obliterated the Cell clone. Once the light settled, the Ki noticed that Gohan was glowing, and his air was getting longer.

"So there is another level for him to reach." Gohan's hair grew down his back, and the glow faded. His third transformation was complete. He had reached the third level of super Sayan.

"Gohan, are you OK?!" Phillips called over to him.

Gohan opened his eyes so suddenly Phillips and the Ki both jumped back with a start, "I think I'm getting used to transforming, it's definitely not as wearing as the first time!"

So Gohan trained in his new form. Using the same techniques as before. Remaining in his upped level to get used to and raise his dexterity. This form took a little longer to fully get used to though. A little over two months time, But he did.

His training continued, and less than a year had passed before he was ready to ascend into a higher level.

This time he pushed himself. The barrier broke, and his hair spiked from where it was at. A fourth level of super Sayan. He had the long gold hair, with spikes that pointed up at the tips.

It was amazing how far he had come. As far as the Ki could tell, Gohan was the most powerful being in the universe. And he was still training and becoming stronger.

Several years passed on earth. They were quite calm and peaceful compared to years past. Soon after Cell's defeat, Chichi had a new son, named Goten. While they all mourned Gohan's death, they were able to go on.

On television, Mr. Satan was still the worlds most popular man. And Bulma, for one, was getting sick of it. "How dare this guy take credit for defeating Cell?! Gohan died protecting this planet, and all these people do is say, 'oh Mr. Satan is out hero!' EWWW, you should really beat him up Vegeta!"

Vegeta had been living with Bulma since the Cell games. He had not given up training, and was still using a gravity machine to enhance it.

"These tournaments are for children, the only competition I have on this planet is with Cackarot."

"Well maybe Goku would be willing to enter the tournament too, would that make it worthwhile to you?"

"Hmm, it would make it, enjoyable."

Goku was playing with Goten outside when he heard the capsule car fly over his head toward his house. "Hmm, Bulma must be visiting Chichi."

He continued goofing around with Goten until Vegeta found them, "Oh hey Vegeta, what's up?"

"I came to ask if you would be willing to enter the world marshal arts tournament this year. Bulma has asked that I enter, but it wouldn't be a fair tournament unless you would also be present."

"Wow, I don't know Vegeta, I mean, I haven't fought in a tournament for seven years."

"So are you saying you've gone soft?"

"When's the tournament?"

"In three weeks."

"OK, I'll be there.

Word got around fast, and soon all of the Z-Fighters wanted to enter the tournament. Even the little ones Goten and Trunks were eager to face off there.

Vegeta and Trunks were working out in the gravity room when Trunks turned Super Sayan before Vegeta's eyes. Vegeta was considerably surprised. And even more so to find that both his son and Goten could already transform into super Sayan. This would be an interesting tournament indeed.

The day of the tournament arrived, and people were coming from everywhere to participate. Mr. Satan would be at the tournament as he was every year, and was expected to take first place, again.

The Z-Fighters approached the front desk with Goten and Trunks in the lead.

"We want to fight in the tournament!" Goten blurted out.

"Ah, two more for the youth division." the clerk said.

"Youth division? No we want to be in the actual tournament!" Trunks really wanted to make his point.

"I'm sorry, but anyone under the age of sixteen must be in the youth division."

"Aww man, that means we have to fight with all the little kids!"

Trunks and Goten were already in the waiting room while the others were trying out for positions in the tournament by getting a high score on a punching machine.

The youth division was getting ready to begin, and they were all brought to the ring to be introduced. Goten and Trunks made short work of everyone they were up against, fighter, or just plain bullies, they were no match for young Sayan.

Finally Goten and Trunks were face off in the semi-finals.

It was an incredible clash, the two showed off excellent form and technique. At one point, Goten and trunks each transformed into Super Sayan, which left the audience, and the other finalist starring in awe.

Their battle waged on, each doing exceptionally well. Trunks finally boasted that he would take Goten out using only one hand. Trunks was pushing Goten back, but it looked like this battle could continue for a while to come.

Trunks decided that one way or another, he was going to end it. He broke the agreements he and Goten had made, and transformed into a super Sayan, and blasted Goten. Goten flew across the arena, and just barely tapped on the seating area. But that was all it took, it was a ring out.

Everyone was excited. This was expected to be the match that would determine the winner. Trunks was still standing on the ring when his final opponent climbed the stairs to face him.

He was clad in a baggy shirt, jeans, large reflective shades, and a baseball cap.

"Ladies and gentlemen, that was an exciting match wasn't it?! Now we have our youth division finals between eight year old Trunks, and eleven year old Tomuks! Trunks has so far defeated every opponent in front of him, younger, or even those nearly doubled his age. Tomuks has also been doing extremely well. Let's get the match underway!"

The two drew into their stances. "That was some fight you had with that Goten." Tomuks grinned at Trunks.

"Yeah?" Trunks laughed, "Then you should know, you don't stand a chance."

"Maybe, but we'll see."

Trunks thought for a moment, 'What's with this guy, why is he so calm, oh well, maybe I should just knock him out with one blow, save him from humiliation.'

Tomuks smiled again. Trunks lunged at him, his fist extended and ready to make impact, but Tomuks caught it easily, and held him back. The Z-fighters watching in the stadium were amazed, was there actually another kid who stood a chance against Trunks.

Trunks was confused, he fell back, and lunged harder, and tried using a barrage of punches to knock the guy down. Tomuks simply blocked all of them with his own hands, then kneed Trunks in the gut, "Come on Trunks, you've got to try harder than that!"

Trunks did an uppercut from below him, but Tomuks simply leaned backwards to avoid it. Trunks flew up into the air, and looked like he was charging up an energy wave.

Before he could fire, Tomuks appeared from behind him and put him in a head lock. Trunks was struggling in the air to break free. "Who are you?!"

"Well Trunks, it looks like you're going to have to transform into a super Sayan to beet me, so what's the hold up?"

"What?"

"Yeah! Let's see what kind of strength you really have!"

Trunks shut his eyes, and when they snapped open, his hair turned it's shimmering gold color, and his body was surrounded by that familiar gold aura. Tomuks let him go and watched as trunks powered up. They were still in the air above the stadium.

Trunks turned and this time lunged with his knee up, and pounded Tomuks right in the stomach, and with his clasped fists, he knocked Tomucks on the back, and sent him pummeling back down to the arena below. Tomucks hit with a crash, and made a small crater, where he hit.

Quickly though, he jumped back to his feet, and lunged back at Trunks, hurling him into the arena this time. Trunks stopped in mid-air before he hit, turned and fired an energy wave a Tomucks as he was landing.

The shot his Tomucks dead in the face, and his baseball cap flew off. To Trunks surprise, it didn't just fly off and land somewhere, but instead hovered right above Tomucks head. At first, Tomucks didn't notice, but then he saw what Trunks was starring at, and quickly pulled it back on his head. The hat was flung back into the air though as soon as he let go of it. Once more he reached up to grab it, and this time tightened it on his head.

"What's up with your cap?"

"What's it to you?!"

"It just seems odd that a hat would just float there."

"Well, it's a lucky hat!"

Now Trunks had a new goal. He thought he would play with Tomucks for a little while, and then steal his hat, that would get him mad.

The fight continued, they both lunged at each other. The force of their blows sent gusts of wind into the audience. The announcer was knocked right off his feet.

Trunks quickly dipped down, and swiped Tomucks legs. Tomucks tripped and fell backwards, but as he fell, Trunks leant in and picked his cap off.

Tomucks saw that Trunks had taken his cap and quickly put his hands on his head, covering it , as he laid on the ground.

Trunks looked the cap over it looked ordinary. He looked back at Tomucks with his hands covering his head. He noticed Tomucks had jet black hair. There didn't seem to be any problem with that, but he noticed something kind of a gold color under Tomucks' hands.

"AHA! You are cheating by using something to make you stronger!"

Tomucks sat up and removed his hands from his head, and a gold ring popped up and took its place a few inches above him. "Cheat? I fight honorable!"

Trunks, though, was looking at the ring. What did it mean? Tomucks clashed once again with Trunks, their blows were nearly equal.

Trunks stopped, and shouted over to Tomucks, "Wait! Who are you?!"

Tomucks stopped and chuckled. "Does my voice sound familiar?"

No that Trunks thought about it, it did, but he couldn't remember from where. "I've met you before, haven't I?"

"Trunks, I suppose it's time you understood who I am."

Trunks stopped cold. Tomucks had a chi that was beginning to swirl around his body. He was powering up. The Chi grew larger, and began changing colors. Tomucks hair turned Gold with his aura. Tomucks was a super Sayan!

Trunks backed off.

Chichi and Bulma had taken seats in the stadium, and Bulma couldn't understand how Trunks could be losing.

From the stadium seating, the Z-Fighters were watching with increased interest. Goku was trying to pinpoint what kind of power he was sensing. As he looked at Tomucks, suddenly it clicked. Tomucks was dead. He had somehow come from the other world and was now here at the tournament. Not only that, but he was a super Sayan.

Goku snapped up, and jumped to his feet, "GOHAN!!!!"

Trunks was still trying to sway his opponent off. But was having little luck, he couldn't land a blow. They arm locked and it looked as if Tomucks would push Trunks right out of the ring.

"You're Goten's older brother, aren't you?"

Tomucks watched Trunks expression through his sunglasses.

"That's the only thing that makes sense!"

Tomucks smiled, and disappeared. Trunks tripped in the direction Tomucks had been in. He looked up and saw Tomucks leaving the ring. The announcer looked up at Tomucks very confused.

"Trunks isn't out yet, are you giving up?"

"He put up a good fight, he deserves to win." With that he left the ring, and walked back into the fighters locker room, right passed an aghast Mr. Satan.

Phillips ran up to him, "Gohan, you were great. But I don't understand, you could have won!"

"Yeah, I really didn't even have to transform into a super Sayan to beet him either, but now they know I'm here."

"You mean your family?"

"Yeah, I imagine they'll be looking all over the stadium in a couple of minutes."

"But still, you let Trunks win!"

"What I really wanted was to fight with my father, to surprise him that way. But now there's this stupid youth division. At least it was good for getting their attention." Gohan took off the clothes he had been wearing at the tournament, and replaced them with his fighting uniform the Ki had given him. Except now he had a blue jacket instead of a vest, and black gloves with gold lacings that matched his boots. Not to mention a holster with the Z-saber strapped to his back.

He kept his sunglasses, and left the rest of the clothes lying on the locker room floor. He and Phillips left the room only seconds before Goku came running in.

"He was here."

Gohan desperately wanted to see his father, but he was on a mission, and he couldn't bring Goku or his friends into this until the time was right.

Gohan had his power suppressed to the point he wouldn't be detectable, and watched the tournament from on top of the stadium. He watched as The supreme Ki and Kabito approached his friends. Apparently they had both made it into the tournament as well. They were all here for the same purpose.

Gohan thought it was ironic that the Supreme Ki really had no idea that Gohan was even here. But Gohan knew exactly who the Supreme Ki was. Right under the Sovereign Ki in their chain of Kis'. The adult tournament was underway, but Gohan was more interested in finding the servants of the wizard Bobidi than the tournament. He was afraid though that he'd have to wait for them to make the first move.

The tournament proceeded as expected, The Z-Fighters were the only real competition. Krillin had to fight a blob of a fighter, and won easily. But in the second round, Piccolo was supposed to take on the Supreme Ki, who was using the name Shin to avoid being recognized. Piccolo however recognized him as a Ki, and backed out of the tournament. Third, there was the daughter of Mr. Hercule Satan, Videl, who was supposed to take on a behemoth of a man named Spopovich.

Videl was beaten badly by Spopovich and wheeled away from the tournament.

Gohan realized that this Spopovich had to be a servant of Bobidi's. In the following round, Goku was to fight Kibito. Gohan watched from above as Kibito tried to get Goku to transform into a super Sayan. Goku hesitated, but transformed. His power was greater than Gohan remembered. Clearly Goku had been training while he was away.

Goku had just finished powering up when Gohan noticed movement from behind the ring. Two of the contestants, Spopovich and Yamu, were getting ready to tackle Goku. Goku could have easily taken them on, but the Supreme Ki stopped Goku in his tracks allowing him to be tackled, and his energy stolen.

Once Goku's energy was depleted, the two left. Gohan took the cue immediately, and followed them. The supreme Ki was about to as well when he noticed Gohan take off after them. He wasn't sure who it was, but he knew he'd be able to follow this ones energy trail, so he decided to attend to Goku before going after them.

Goku awoke, Shin and Kibito were above him restoring his energy. He sat up and saw everyone around him, "What happened?"

"Spopovich and Yamu stole your energy," Kibito looked like a giant statue, even as he spoke.

"Come Kibito, we must find where they are heading." The supreme Ki stood and took to the sky. The Z-Fighters decided they weren't just going to sit and watch and took off after them.

On the way, The Supreme Ki explained what they were doing on earth.

"We have been hunting a wizard known as Bobidi, thousands of years ago, his father Bibidi created a horrible monster known as Majin Bu. This monster nearly destroyed the entire universe. And now Bobidi is trying to resurrect him."

"And what was the deal with the two guys at the tournament?"

"They were collecting energy for Majin Bu's revival, they need pure energy to awaken the creature from its slumber."

"How come you haven't been able to find him yet?"

"Somehow he had eluded us, we had to wait for him to make the first move, that way we could follow them to wherever they were based."

"Can you still sense them flying ahead of us?"

"I saw something unexpected as they left the stadium, it appears we are not the only ones after Bobidi, there was another person with immense power chasing after them. I'm following his energy, but it disappeared some ways in front of us."

They arrived at a clearing, and took cover behind rocks to avoid detection.

They saw Goku's assailants in front of a door, it appeared as if their space ship had been burred underground. The door opened, and from inside a small cricket looking being stepped out, followed by a rather big fellow with red skin and horns.

"Dabura!" The Supreme Ki was shocked. He had no idea that Bobidi would have someone so powerful with him.

They continued to watch. They saw Spopovich hand their power collector to Bobidi, and as a reward for their troubles, Bobidi destroyed Spopovich and Yamu.

Before they reentered the ship, Bobidi noticed the power levels of the Z-Fighters, but more to his pleasure, that of the Supreme Ki. He decided to lure them into his ship, where he could destroy them.

Dabura laid the bait by blasting Kibito away, and solidifying Piccolo and Krillin into stone. Goku and Vegeta flew into the ship after him, determined to find and destroy Dabura to revive their friends.

Inside they were met by an alien who told them what they would have to do to get to Dabura and Bobidi. They would have to destroy the boss at every level of the ship.

Vegeta decided to handle this one himself, and destroyed him with ease. At the next level, Goku was up and was ready to take on the frog faced monster that laid before him.

At the third level they waited, and waited for a long time. When the doors opened, they realized it would be Dabura they were up against. Quickly, Dabura unsheathed his Demon blade, and swung into the group. The room was filled with light, and as it faded, they saw Dabura's sword had made impact, but with another sword, one held by a smaller figure. "Gohan?"

"Miss me?" Gohan smirked as he and Dabura locked into a vicious sword fight.

The supreme Ki noticed Gohan's weapon immediately, "The Z-Saber?!"

"What?"

"Gohan, he holds the Z-Saber, hat can only mean, that he was sent by the Sovereign Ki!"

"The who?"

"The master of all worlds, the Sovereign Ki."

Gohan wasn't a Super Sayan yet, but he was driving Dabura back well enough as it was.

"Who are you, and how did you get in here?" Dabura commanded an answer.

"Just another Sayan, and I've been here the entire time, you guys just don't pay very much attention," Gohan said as he spun and cut Dabura down the back. Dabura screamed in pain, and felt the cut on his body. He tried swinging again at Gohan, but Gohan used his sword to slice Dabura"s Demon Blade nearly to the hilt. Dabura started spitting at Gohan, trying to get something in, and to stop this battle. Gohan appeared to dodge everything Dabura could dish out with ease.

"Dabura! Pull yourself together! You're losing!" Bobidi yelled as he watched what was going on in his magic ball. Suddenly Bobidi changed his mind, "Dabura, come back now!"

Dabura stopped, "But master I can..."

"You are having no such luck, retreat immediately!"

Dabura flew for the door. "It is not over yet! This is merely an intermission!" with that, the door slammed shut.

Gohan holstered his sword, and raised his shades above his eyes.

"Gohan?" Goku watched from behind.

Gohan turned around, "Hi dad!" Gohan had the biggest smile across his face.

"Gohan!" Goku ran up and embraced his son. "What... Gosh there are so many things I want to ask you. How did you get back?"

Gohan chuckled, I was sent by the Sovereign Ki, He wanted me to find this Majin Bu and destroy him before he got out of hand again." The Supreme Ki nodded.

Goku looked above Gohan's head, "But you still have a halo?"

"Yeah, well, I'm not technically alive, just kinda visiting."

The supreme Ki stepped up to him, "I see, were you appointed as a Sovereign guard?"

Gohan shook his head, "No, I was named A sovereign peace keeper."

"Ah, and if I'm not mistaken, that's the Z-saber you have strapped to your back."

Gohan lifted his sword, "Yes it is. Nice isn't it?" The supreme Ki was amazed just at how easily Gohan lifted it. He knew for a fact that there was no artifact in the universe that weighed more than the Z-saber.

Goku saw his reflection in the wide blade of the sword, and Gohan held it up to him, "You want to see it?"

Goku reached over and grabbed the Z-Saber, and almost instantly it fell from his hands and collided with the floor hard enough to leave an indentation. Goku reached for it again, doing his best to steady himself as he lifted the sword.

The Supreme Ki was shocked as Goku lifted it above his head and swung it around a little.

"Wow dad, I'm impressed!"

"Well Gohan, you act as if you thought no one here would have gotten any stronger than before!" Vegeta sighed with his normal cocky expression.

"Well," Gohan looked over to Vegeta, his chin propped on his hand, and his head tilted, "You've gotten stronger, but not that much."

"What?! Why you..."

"Enough!" The supreme Ki was getting angrier by the second, "Right now we should be concerned about stopping Majin Bu! We have defeated their final warrior, there should be nothing stopping us now!"

"Right!" Gohan walked over to the door in the floor, and placed his hand on it. Slowly it glowed brighter then Gohan lifted his hand pulling the door with it. "Well, who wants to be first?"

The Sayan jumped down the chute with the Supreme Ki not far behind. They fell through and landed at yet another stage. "What's supposed to happen here?" Goku looked around, "I don't see anything."

Vegeta was getting impatient. "OH forget about climbing down stage by stage, I'm going to blow this ship up right now!"

"Vegeta don't!" The Supreme Ki ran up to him.

"NO?! And why not?!"

"We can't afford to awaken Majin Bu! He power could destroy us all along with the entire planet! It's a chance we can't afford to take!"

"Do you think I care about what happens to this planet?! The strong will survive, and the weak will parish, such is the way of things, and I have no time to stand here and get weak listening to your senseless jabbering! I'm blowing this place up NOW!"

Goku flashed in front of Vegeta and grabbed his hand before he could fire, "Listen Vegeta, we should do this the Supreme Ki's way, too many people could get hurt otherwise."

"Errrahhh! Fine! Let's do what the great Cackarot says! Hmph!" Vegeta turned around and crossed his arms.

Gohan was leaning against the wall, "Well, he sure hasn't changed..."

They waited for no more than a few minutes, then Vegeta began to act funny. He clutched his head and began stumbling around.

"Vegeta, are you OK?" Goku was right next to him.

"Goku get away from him, it's Bobidi, he's entered his mind!"

"What?! Isn't there anything we can do?!"

"It's up to him now."

Gohan didn't even flinch, he just watched from behind his sun visor.

Vegeta powered up and fell to the floor.

As he stood up the room changed, and they were once again at the world tournament.

Everyone looked around very confused. Mr. Satan was just giving his victory speech when the Sayan and the Ki just appeared from seemingly nowhere.

"Cackarot! You will fight with me, exactly how you were meant to!"

"Now's not the time Vegeta..."

"Nonsense! I have waited for an excuse for years, but no more! We will fight here and now!"

The battle between Goku and Vegeta was in the beginning phases. Gohan was still looking around, trying to piece together what he could do next. He knew it would serve no point to try and talk Goku and Vegeta from fighting. Their fighting spirits were too strong, Gohan knew this, because the same spirit flowed through him as well.

It was the supreme Ki who finally approached Gohan, "Listen Gohan, we have to stop Majin Bu from attaining his full power!"

"It's not Bu I'm worried about..."

"What?!"

"Come on." The room had changed again, they appeared to be out in the middle of nowhere. Gohan was reaching for the door again. "You two have fun, OK?"

Goku laughed, and you be careful, OK Gohan?"

"Right," Gohan pried the doors open and he and the supreme Ki slid down.

They landed in Bobidi's main chamber. At first glance, they both caught sight of the egg of Majin Bu. The Supreme Ki looked horrified. "Hurry, we must do something, Bobidi and Dabura are sure to still be around here somewhere..." As he spoke, they both appeared from behind the egg.

"Greetings Ki, I'm glad you could make it."

"Bobidi, you are a fool to try and resurrect Majin Bu, and we will stop you! I believe you saw earlier that Dabura is no match for my friend here!"

Gohan wasn't listening. He slowly peeled his visor off as he starred up towards the ceiling. He could feel something, something horrible...

"Yes as a matter of fact I did, but I have more than one line of defense you know?"

The Supreme Ki looked confusingly at Bobidi, when Gohan leaped forward and pushed the Supreme Ki out of the way. "LOOK OUT!"

An energy blast hit directly where they had been standing.

As the dust settled, Gohan looked up. Dust? Bobidi had moved them from the ship moments before the blast had hit. They were standing directly outside the ship.

Gohan stood and watched as his would be assailant landed. It was someone about his height, clothed all in black and red. Immediately Gohan knew who it was, "So you're Ru?"

The figure laughed.

Bobidi was still standing near Majin Bu's egg, "Hurry Ru, Kill him!"

Gohan looked over to Bobidi, "OK, I'll fight him, but I want to make sure I get no interference from Dabura."

"Don't worry," Bobidi started, "This is a fight between just the two of..." Bobidi stopped cold, as an energy wave passed right by him and ripped through Dabura, flinging him across the valley.

"Like I said, I want to make _sure_." Gohan quipped, then looked over to Ru. As he had thought, This was the mercenary Sovereign Ki was concerned about. Gohan could feel his power, and indeed it was high, but Gohan felt it still wasn't equal to his own.

"Shall we begin?" Ru took up his stance. He was a humanoid creature, dark skinned, and just a little taller than Gohan.

"Whenever you're ready." Gohan just stood before him.

"Good, then let us begin!" Ru lunged at Gohan, and Gohan lifted his arm to block the attack which he did with ease. But to his surprise, Ru was no where near surprised, he remained with his cocky smile.

Gohan returned the punch, and he felt a sudden power up as his punch was blocked. Now he knew he had no idea exactly how powerful this guy was.

They unlocked and took to the sky. Bobidi and the Supreme Ki watched in utter shock as the two moved far too fast for any of them to see. Between Gohan and Ru, It was an even fight. So to speak, neither one had landed a successful hit, they found the other to be quite well at blocking.

"I am sorry Gohan, but I=m going to have to end this!" Ru leapt higher into the air and powered up. "Desmoi!" He shouted as a huge energy blast was unleashed from his hands and hurled right at Gohan.

Gohan only needed a fraction of a moment to react, "Kamehameha!" He fired and the two energy waves met between the two warriors.

They seemed locked in the middle, when Ru powered up even more, pushing Gohan's wave back at him. Gohan saw it coming and transformed into a Super Sayan. With his power boost, the energy wave was quickly thrown back to Ru.

Ru leapt out of the way right before the energy wave went by him. He looked down at Gohan and gasped as he saw his transformed state. Gohan was mostly expressionless. He merely watched Ru in anticipation of his next move, but the move he made was not something Gohan was expecting.

Ru clenched his fists, and long black wings pierced from his back in his transformation. A dark purple aura was swirling around him. Gohan felt his power skyrocket.

Before Gohan"s mind could clear Ru was right on top of him, and with a dual fisted punch, he knocked Gohan to the ground, hard.

Gohan pushed himself back up with a back flip. And powered up to his level two form. And bashed back into Ru. Ru flipped around and they were both caught in each others arm lock.

Gohan smiled, he hadn't had a battle like this since he fought Cell.

Ru broke into his thoughts though, "You surprise me with your multiple transformations, but I'm still not worried."

"Oh? And why's that?"

"Because soon my power will be beyond anything the universe has ever known!"

"Really? And how will you accomplish that?"

"You see that egg over there?" Ru gestured to the egg of Bu. Gohan looked, but was still rather confused by what he was getting at. "Centuries ago, the creature that resides in that egg was the most powerful being in the universe. Imagine how strong I will be when he and I are one!"

Gohan shot up, "You can't... you intend to fuse with it?!"

"More than that, I intend to integrate him into my being, to posses his powers but retain myself. I am under no control of Bobidi's. I am doing this for myself. You are very powerful yourself, you should join us, can you imagine the force the three of us could create?!"

"You're insane!" Gohan kneed Ru in the chin and freed his arms, then blasted him.

"You're not taking me seriously Gohan! I'm offering you the glory of the universe!"

"I'm not interested in dominating over the universe, I'm here to stop you, and that's exactly what I'm going to do!" Gohan pulled his sword from the holster on his back and dove at Ru. He swung, but it met only the steel of another weapon. A Thinner blade , but longer, Gohan now saw its holster at Ru's side. Gohan ran his energy through the Z Saber and swung again at Ru. Ru's sword began to glow an eerie purple color, and he swung it back at Gohan.

The two were locked in a vicious sword fight. Ru pulled his sword back, and it glowed brighter. He leapt backwards and swung it at Gohan. It created a large beam that propelled towards Gohan. Gohan was unable to dodge so he blocked it as well as he could. It blew him upwards, but didn't do anything too damaging.

Gohan clutched his sword tighter and closed his eyes. He began glowing in a blindingly bright gold color. As the glow stopped, Ru could see that Gohan's hair now reached almost all the way down his body.

"Another transformation, this is getting dull!"

Gohan paid no head, he disappeared from sight and reappeared behind Ru, where he elbowed him in the side. Ru fell forward, but Gohan's rematerialized kneed stopped him right in the gut.

Ru looked up at Gohan with an expression of pure anger, and Gohan elbowed him in the back of the neck and sent him sailing to the ground. Ru made a crater as he collided with the earth below him. He began crawling, the pain from Gohan's blows was severe.

He reached for the ground in front of him to help pull himself forward, but what he grabbed instead was a boot. He slowly looked up ro see that it was Gohan who was standing arms crossed right in front of him.

Ru staggered to his feet. "You have no idea what you've done!" Ru pulled himself together, "I've never had to use this much power before but don't think I won't!" Gohan didn't flinch. "Fine then!" Ru raised his arms into the air, his dark wings spread. He looked up and closed his eyes. His dark glow grew brighter.

His wings spread out further, and became jagged and pointy at the tips. He grew a pointed tail, clasps grew from his feet. He lowered his arms, and held them at his sides. His muscles grew and pulsated, and he rammed his fist into Gohan's face. Gohan fell back but didn't show any signs of pain. He wiped a small streak of blood from his lip, and took his stance back up, then smiled, "Not bad."

Ru couldn't believe it, he was nearly at full power, and he still wasn't getting anywhere. He was out of time.

Gohan disappeared again from in front of Ru and smashed him from above. Ru fell to the ground, and landed again in a heap. He pushed himself onto his hands and knees and coughed the dirt from his lungs. He hurt bad. His vision was going blurry. Then he thought he was hearing things when he heard a whistle go off. But then he did see smoke.

Ru quickly turned around and saw that the egg of Bu was ready to hatch. Bobidi was starring wide eyed at the egg, "Majin Bu's at full power!" The fight between Goku and Vegeta that was taking place elsewhere had served its purpose to Bobidi.

With a burst of light the egg cracked open. Fumes lifted into the air, but as the smoke cleared, it was revealed that the egg was empty.

Everyone starred in shock, as nothing came out. The supreme Ki began taunting Bobidi. The day could very well end happily at this rate. Gohan looked around, he could still feel a strangeness amiss. He tried feeling for it, but couldn't pinpoint anything.

Finally his head shot upwards. The smoke that had escaped from the egg was swirling up in the sky. It was beginning to form a solid object. Finally, everyone noticed, and was watching as it formed a body. In a final flash of light it came together, "BOOOOO!!!" Majin Bu, was free.

"At last!" Ru jumped up and began racing for Bu. Gohan tried jumping between them, and blasted Ru. Ru's determination pushed him past Gohan's beam, and he was able to brush Gohan out of the way just long enough to reach Majin Bu.

Bu looked up at Ru just as he was on top of him. Ru's wings spread, and wrapped themselves around Majin Bu's body. Sparks and lightning flew, as a huge ball was formed around the two of them.

Gohan was up again, but he couldn't believe what was going on. He was too late. Bu and Ru were merging together.

The supreme Ki looked horrified, he had never seen anything like this before. Even Bobidi wasn't sure what was going on.

The earth seemed to tremble, the light given off the merging made that of the sun look dull. Gohan just waited, this was going to get interesting.

The ball lit up like it was exploding, then the light was gone. Everyone opened their eyes again to see the ball was gone. In its place there was now a tall winged figure. He was tall, and had jet black armor. A sturdy helmet with a deep black visor was covering his face. The wings were curved, but still had sharp tips, He stood hovering over everyone there.

Bobidi walked over to him. "Majin Bu? What happened?"

"I am not your Bu! I am Rubu! And you are nothing." He raised a finger and shot a wave that instantly obliterated Bobidi.

Rubu smiled and turned to look at the Supreme Ki.

"Supreme Ki! WATCH OUT!" Gohan yelled as he leapt into the supreme Ki and pulled him away from Rubu. "Quickly, get out of here!" Gohan told the supreme Ki as he turned around and lunged back at Rubu. Instantly they met in an arm lock. Gohan was showing serious signs of straining, but Rubu wasn't even flinching. Gohan brought up his knee and hit Rubu in the chin, but Rubu's face didn't even shiver. Gohan jumped back and powered up. His own power making the earth below him shake.

As soon as he was done powering up, he saw Rubu's fist stop right in front of his face. He wasn't sure of he was a match or not in his current form, but he had to try.

The two locked in battle immediately. Gohan felt the blows hit him hard. He had to do better than this. Finally Rubu knocked him to the ground hard.

Gohan jumped up, "That's it! I don't have a choice anymore!" Gohan pulled his arms to his sides. He was going to use his final transformation. But he knew he had to be careful not to power up too fast, or else he could do some serious damage to the planet.

The sky was black, bolts of lightning were striking the ground at Gohan's feet. His power began shining brighter as it swirled around him. Finally it was too blinding to look at.

The light faded, Gohan's body looked more rigid, and his long hair spiked up at the tips. Power was swirling around him in too many forms to count. Gohan took a deep breath as he let his power sink in. Then he looked up ro Rubu who was still starring at him.

He leapt into the air, and came from behind Rubu, smashing him right in the back of the head. Rubu gasped and quickly turned around. Gohan was lunging again, but Rubu quickly blocked.

Gohan noticed that the part he hit still wasn't flinching. Rubu had to be at least as strong as he was now. While his thoughts distracted him, Rubu kicked him right in the side of his face. Gohan was sent flying. He stopped himself before he hit the ground, but Rubu was on top of him, and again forced him down.

Gohan pulled himself out of the dirt, and reached for his sword. He pulled it out and leapt back into the air. He began spinning it quickly. Eventually it spun so fast it looked like a giant disk. Gohan fed his power into it, and it unleashed a huge energy wave. It collided with Rubu, but he had his arms up to block it. Still it was pushing him down. The power was too much for Rubu to simply stop.

Rubu felt his feet touch the ground. His face grew tense, and he pushed with all of his might against the beam until he reflected it upward.

It flew off in the direction Gohan had been, but Rubu quickly noticed that he wasn't there anymore. At that instant, Gohan appeared on the other side of him with his arms clasped at his side, "Kamehameha!" Gohan unleashed another beam at Rubu, but this time he countered it with one of his own, "Des Moi!" He fired, and the beams were locked in the center.

Gohan moved one hand, and left his beam for one hand to control. He took his now free arm and lifted it into the air "Asenko!" and he unleashed a second energy wave.

Rubu was using both of his arms on his one energy wave, so when this new one came at him, he had nothing to block it with. It made impact right in his face, and blew him to the ground, then the first wave came back at him and exploded on contact.

Gohan watched from the air. He hovered over the dust the explosion had created, and waited.

Suddenly there was another explosion. Bobidi's space ship had gone up in a ball of flames, and Vegeta and Goku were coming from it. They were both powered up, probably from Goku's sensu beans. Gohan flew down to them.

"Dad, Vegeta, be on your guard, things have gotten way out of hand now." Vegeta was starring at Gohan. This new form he had. The power he was feeling from him. It was incredible.

Goku nodded, "I've felt someone else out here that's also really strong, where is he?"

"FOOLS!" Gohan looked up and saw Rubu above them now. Rubu fired off another energy wave. It his and there was another explosion. Rubu began laughing, until he saw that Gohan Goku and Vegeta were all still standing. Gohan had encased them all in an energy shield.

Gohan was back in the air and facing Rubu. Rubu clenched his teeth, "You are now a cookie!" Gohan stumbled back a little, he wasn't sure what that statement was all about, but then he caught glimpse of some kind of ray. But he couldn't dodge it.

It hit Gohan, but he didn't feel anything.

Suddenly, his body stiffened up on its own. He felt it pulling him into some strange position. Then he blacked out.

Goku and Vegeta were in shock as they saw Gohan's body shrink and change color. He did, Gohan turned into a cookie! Rubu grabbed him and in one bite, ate him!

"No..." Goku looked at Rubu with anger clearly visible in his face. Then he transformed into his Super Sayan three form. He was doing his best to sway the monster.

Vegeta tried to help but couldn't do much. Goku was getting beaten badly though. "We need to escape Vegeta!"

"NO! A Sayan never runs from battle!"

"There's more at stake here than us." Goku grabbed Vegeta by the wrist and teleported them away.

Rubu looked around and saw them rematerialize not too far away. Goku grabbed a hold of Piccolo, Krillin, Goten, and Trunks, and teleported them all far away.

Rubu was over the spot they had been, but now couldn't sense them anywhere. He looked around just a little more, then left.

Goku appeared on Kami's lookout with everyone in tow. "We need a plan."

Piccolo walked up to Goku, "What do you intend to do against a monster with that much power without Gohan?"

Goku looked at the ground, "We have to fuse."

Everyone looked up at him.

"The only way to beat him is for some of us to fuse together. Piccolo, you should know how much stronger that could make us."

Piccolo thought about how he had fused with Nail, "Yes, but how will you simply fuse with someone else?"

"We have to use The Dance of the Fusion." Everyone looked really skeptical about that one. "Yes, Vegeta and I can fuse, and Goten and Trunks can fuse, if we can all do that, then we could stand a chance." They were quiet in thought. "We all have to reach at least our third transformation of super Sayan though."

"And just how did you manage that Cackarot?"

"Probably the same way I did."

Everyone turned around, and saw Gohan leaning against the wall of the temple.

"Gohan? How did you?" Goku was trying to piece everything together.

"Come on, you can't kill someone who's already dead! I woke up in King Yema's check in and came back here. You have a good plan, but you are right, for you guys to stand a chance at all, you"ll have to be at least in your super Sayan three forms."

Everyone nodded. "So tell me Gohan, what would be the quickest way to attain this power?"

"Well, the push is the same thing as it was from super Sayan one to two. Once you're comfortable enough in that form, you can increase the power and go on to the next form.

"Is that all? Then I should be ready to ascend right now!" Vegeta powered up to his super Sayan forms.

"Be careful Vegeta, if your body isn't ready, it could hurt you pretty bad!" Goku informed him.

Vegeta didn't even appear to be listening. He strained his power, and tried pushing it to go beyond. His hair began growing longer, and sparks were flying from his body.

Gohan walked over to stand by his father. "Nope, his body isn't going to be able to handle the strain."

Goku looked over at Vegeta and tried feeding him some of his own power.

* * *

And that was as far as the story went for two years. If anyone did just read through this whole chapter, I hope in the least you found it amusing because I know i can't read it without laughing at how silly most of it is. I know comparing this story to the new edition I'm writing right now it gives me a good feeling that I'm almost ready start writing original novels for publishing which is what I would really love to get into. Still have plenty I need to improve on though and lots of things to experiment with. Wish me luck and I hope the story continues to entertain!


	20. Team Serius

Chapter 19: Team Serius

* * *

"And then Gohan pulled so hard that when the sword finally came lose he shot straight through the ceiling! Completely destroyed the temple!" Phips chuckled remembering how much Gohan really struggled with the Realis in the beginning.

Goten and Trunks had been laughing almost the entire time at how Phips relayed the story of Gohan's past several years, "Was the Kai upset at all at Gohan for doing that?" Trunks had to ask.

Still chuckling, Phips shook his head, "No, the Kai was too busy merrily jumping up and down singing how someone finally pulled the darn thing out!"

"I wonder how hard it's going to be to get it out of where it buried itself back where we were!" Goten exclaimed thinking about it now.

"Oh yeah… I forgot we did kind of leave it there…" Phips thought suddenly quiet, "Don't worry, Gohan has plenty of experience digging that slugger out! Before he got used to the monstrous weight of that sword he'd go flying with it every time he swung it! Once it pulled him straight through a mountain!" This made the boys laugh again.

Goku sat close by listening intently as well, "So what happened after he got used to the sword? I mean he sure had a lot of other techniques he was using besides the ones I already knew."

"Well…" Phips thought about it, "I suppose a lot of it happened when the Sovereign Kai decided to have his elite team, Serius Prime, show Gohan the ropes. It was definitely an eye opening experience for him. It all started when the Kai saw that Gohan was improving drastically in strength but was still missing a few other key factors…"

Phips retold the story of that one day from four years ago…

Gohan's intense training with the Realis at that point allowed him to lift the sword in his first level of super saiyan. He brushed the sweat off his brow as he continued sword fighting with the air. He was determined to improve to the point where he could carry the weapon without a transformation to assist him.

The Sovereign Kai and Phips watched from a distance as Gohan continued to push himself harder every day, "Simply amazing… he now outputs higher energy in his first level transformation than he did in his second back when first arrived… That third level transformation of his is almost unfathomable."

Phips laughed loudly, "He's already so strong but he keeps going. Doesn't this already make him like the strongest person ever in all existence?"

The Kai looked over Phips disdainfully serious, "Don't think so two dimensionally Phips. You're not seeing the larger picture of infinity. There are those out there causing havoc right now who could completely overshadow Gohan's power."

Phips looked shocked at the Kai, "But wait a minute… I remember you saying that no other member of your Sovereign Guardians had ever been able to budge the Realis, and yet Gohan not only took out the sword but has grown so much stronger since he started training with it! Are you really saying then there are threats out there which could completely wipe out even your elites so easily?"

A startled look crossed over the Kai's face and he slapped his forehead, "Have I really been doing this?"

With his head cocked to the side Phips poked the Kai's shoulder, "Having an existential moment are we?"

"No, no," The Kai shook his head, "You just actually reminded me of something important."

"Like a little important, or oh my god the universe is doomed important?" Phips crossed his arms hoping the Kai had thought of things like this before.

"Don't be silly Phips, and no force could easily take down my elite Sovereign Guardians, but that is also due to the fact that strength is not everything." The Kai stood from the stone he'd been seated upon and began walking toward his manor, "I've been so excited about Gohan's ability to keep increasing in strength so quickly that I've been overlooking the basics!"

"What do you mean by basics?" Phips jumped up and kept step with the Kai.

"Gohan has been training intensely during his period here with me, but he is still at an incredible disadvantage unless he can overcome certain factors…" The Kai stepped up the stairs to his manor and walked inside to a special dimensional chamber where the energies of infinity could be channeled.

A chill crept down Phips' spine as he felt the spectral energies in the room, "Planning on holding a séance?"

"In a manner of speaking," The Kai closed his eyes and began to concentrate, "I'm calling in assistance to aid me in training Gohan correctly. It's important he is introduced to these concepts early on to give him the chance to become a well balanced warrior."

"Like the breakfast he had this morning…" Phips took a step back and let the Kai work his interdimensional communications.

Outside, Gohan was soaked with sweat as he took a break for a moment letting the weight of the Realis rest on his arms. Even that was a test of endurance as the weapon still threatened to knock his small frame over if he wasn't careful.

With his breath caught, Gohan lifted the sword and started floating into the sky to continue his training. "Gohan!" The Kai called from the manor.

Gohan set the sword down on the special holding plate and flew over to the Sovereign Kai, "Yes sir?" He asked politely.

"Gohan, you've improved much in your time with me, but I feel it's time we shifted your training slightly," The Kai smiled to himself as he stepped off the stairs of his veranda and approached the young saiyan.

A little confused, Gohan cocked his head and asked, "Shift?"

Nodding the Kai clarified, "Yes, you see up until now we've been concentrating just on increasing your physical ability. Your strength and speed have become almost unparalleled in amongst my legions of guardians; however this does not guarantee victory in the types of battles we face on a regular basis."

"Does this mean I'm going to have to do more studying?" Gohan scratched his head considering the insinuation that his mental faculties were going to need training as well.

"In a sense, but sharpening the mind for what we do doesn't require the laborious repetition and memorization you're probably acquainted with," The Sovereign Kai thought for a moment of how to best explain himself, "I'm talking about true mental clarity, instantaneous analysis, judgment, and reaction. That is what is required in the field."

"Okay!" Gohan was getting excited over the prospect of a new challenge already, "How are we going to do that?"

The Kai laughed darkly to himself, "I have solicited the assistance of my most elite Sovereign Guardians for this. They will arrive soon. They are known as Serius Prime, and I see you joining their ranks someday soon."

Gohan nodded understanding that'd he be trained by some of the Kai's other guardians, "Is there anything I should do to get ready?"

"They'll be here soon…" The Kai looked over to Phips, "He's going to need his strength; do you have any Panacea Crackers baked up?"

"No rest for the wicked huh? Here you go Gohan," Phips tossed him a cracker which immediately restored his strength once he ate it.

"I'm sure they're going to want to test your abilities right off the bat Gohan, and if you could do me a favor…" The Kai closed the gap to speak quietly just to Gohan, but Phips' super hearing picked up the whispers anyway, "I want you to refrain from transforming into your higher level forms until I say otherwise."

"Sure I guess I can do that," Gohan thought in the very least it would be a chance to work on his base strength.

The Sovereign Kai looked up to the sky, "Ah, I knew they wouldn't be long. I can sense their energy penetrating the dimensional barrier already."

Gohan felt the surge of energy also and looked up into the air. High above them, a hole was punctured through the sky and a glowing orb floated down from it. The bright sphere slowly touched down on the ground and dissipated away revealing five people dressed similarly to Gohan.

The Sovereign Kai approached the group, "It is good to see you all!"

In front of the group was a man, apparently their leader, dressed in a long dark trench coat still similarly themed to the Sovereign jackets. He smiled warmly and approached the Kai, "Master Kai, it has been a while hasn't it? Sometimes I suppose we get too wrapped up in our work and don't stop by very often."

"How are operations going?" The Kai asked curiously.

"We left Morkup, Pendyne, and Jurkool monitoring a smuggling ring we've been tracking. Activity is low right now so we have plenty of time," the man replied coolly.

"Excellent, then let me introduce you to my newest guardian recruit, Gohan please come here," Gohan approached as the Kai called and bowed to the group of warriors in front of him.

"How cute!" one of the girls of the group cooed causing two of the other members to snicker.

"Behave Saila," The Kai rested his hand on Gohan's shoulder, "Everyone, this is Son Gohan, he only arrived a short time ago but shows true promise in his potential. He may very well soon be the newest member of Serius Prime if he continues to grasp our methods as quickly as he has been."

The man in the trench coat grinned down at Gohan, "You think you have what it takes to be on Serius Prime huh?" he asked appraisingly.

"I'll do my best!" Gohan immediately responded.

"That's the spirit!" The man crossed his arms and turned his attention back to the Kai.

"Gohan," The Kai began the team's introductions, "These are five of the members of my Serius Prime team of Sovereign Guardians. The one I have been speaking to in front here is their leader, Lao Harknos."

Lao shook Gohan's hand formally. Gohan took notice of Lao's solid stature, he looked very strong. His skin had a slight yellow hue, but was almost unnoticeable. His hair was very dark brown and spiked forward.

"The energetic girl here is Saila," She giggled as Gohan shook her hand. Her complexion was deep purple and her features were very soft and curved without the rough edges a warrior's muscles typically have. Not to mention she was quite well endowed. Gohan blushed as got the feeling her dainty appearance only disguised her true strengths.

"To Lao's side there is Torjuk, he is impeccable when it comes to supporting the group," Gohan shook Torjuk's hand as he noticed that while not very tall, Torjuk was the only member of the team that a bit of a gut on him. His skin was deep blue, but his smile seemed friendly enough.

"Nice to meet'chya!" Torjuk continued smiling to Gohan.

"Over here we have Laudria," Laudria winked at Gohan as he shook her hand. She was taller than the other girl, Saila, but thinner also. Gohan also noticed how the coats the girls were wearing flared out at the bottom like a tunic rather than ending at the belt like his own. Her skin gave off a red hue which was almost inexistent compared to the wild red of her long hair.

"And finally, the current youngest member of Serius prime, Shu," Gohan noticed Shu's youthful appearance signifying he must have died at an age only a little older than Gohan; maybe sixteen at most. His hair was wild with spikes in front pulled back into a ponytail which flared into more spikes in the back. He was the most human looking one of the group.

"Well then, with introductions out of the way," Lao started, "if you're going to pal around with us Gohan we're going to need to assess just what your current capabilities are. Would you mind demonstrating what you can do on Shu for us?"

Gohan appraised Shu closely and looked to the Kai confused. The Sovereign Kai nodded in response to signify it was OK, "Alright, like a spar match right?"

"That's it!" Lao and the others stepped back to watch.

"Rookie versus newbie!" Torjuk shouted as he took a seat on the steps of the Kai's manor.

"Shut up Torjy!" Shu shouted back at him.

Gohan leaned closer to the Sovereign Kai, "Are you sure this is OK? I can tell he's strong, but I don't sense that much energy from him…"

The Kai laughed, "Don't worry Gohan, Shu's true strength lies not in your standard concept of energy. Fight him and you will see."

Gohan nodded and dropped into a low fighting stance as the Kai moved out of the way as well.

"Okay kid, you ready?" Shu held his arms out to his side.

"Whenever you are!" Gohan answered.

"Then let's do it!" Energy sparks began forming around Shu's body as he appeared to be powering up. Gohan still couldn't sense his energy building. Gohan wasn't sure what to expect and actually jumped when he noticed Shu's shadow begin to move. The shadow rose up into the sky and formed the shape of a giant blue dragon attached to Shu at the feet.

"Whoa…" Gohan stared wide eyed at the ethereal behemoth.

"Too shocked to move huh? This should be quick!" Shu jumped toward Gohan, his dragon shadow mimicking his moves, and slammed his fist down on top of Gohan, embedding him into the rock below.

Gohan blinked a few times, but quickly flipped himself out of the rock and stood ready, "That is really awesome! OK let's do it for real!" Gohan jumped at Shu with his fist extended out to deliver a punch. The dragon shadow moved in to block Gohan's attack.

When the punch made contact Shu's eyes snapped open wide, "He's strong!" he whispered to himself. Gohan spun himself around and focused his punch into an uppercut knocking Shu and his dragon backward. Shu flipped in the air and dug his boots in the ground to stop his movement. "Flare Sword!" He shouted as the blue dragon collected flames in its hand and threw the gathered magic at Gohan.

Gohan jumped out of the way of the attack, but the flames erupted behind him and knocked him forward off his feet. Shu wasted no time in using Gohan's stumble to his advantage, "Groundus!" His dragon used more magic to split the ground beneath Gohan open and knock him down into the crag. He clenched his fist once Gohan fell in and the ground slammed shut sealing him beneath the soil.

"Got you!" Shu cheekily smirked to himself.

The ground below began to tremble followed by a strong earthquake. Cracks formed at the point of Gohan's imprisonment and spread across the ground all the way to the Kai's doorstep. "Oh dear…" The Kai grabbed onto one of the veranda pillars hoping the battle wouldn't damage his house.

Shu prepared himself for Gohan to come bursting out of the ground in front of him. The quaking below ceased and instead of jumping up from the ground, Gohan appeared behind Shu out of an Instant Transmission, "…HA-ME…"

"What?" Shu barely turned around and saw Gohan's hands clasped together at his side.

"HAA!" Gohan fired the Kamehameha wave at Shu taking him by surprise and slamming him to the ground.

Shu quickly pushed himself up right and jumped back into the sky. Shu's blue dragon swiped at Gohan in sync with its user. Gohan skillfully blocked each punch and kicked the dragon across the face knocking Shu back with it.

As soon as Shu regained control of his fall he reached back collecting magical energies in his hand shouting, "FLARE!" and throwing many fast consecutive attacks at Gohan.

Gohan formed a small shield of energy in front of each hand and quickly swung them around deflecting the fiery attacks away from him.

"He's adapting quickly to the battle," Lao pointed out while keeping an eye on the two.

The Sovereign Kai grinned, "Yes, he's a very fast learner."

Shu started throwing the flare attacks even faster seeing that Gohan was pushing through them all and getting closer. Gohan's speed increased in time with Shu's. Within moments he broke through Shu's assault and latched onto Shu's arm, twisting it, and flung him back to the ground again.

The ground quaked as Shu hit the ground hard, "Man… he's not bad!"

Gohan began circling down from above ready to finish the battle when a voice halted the action, "That's enough you two!" Gohan stopped in midair and Shu held the magic he was charging in his hand and looked at Lao who was approaching them.

"What's up?" Shu asked anxious to finish the fight.

Lao shook his head, "Nothing, just thought it'd be a good time to pull you two apart before anyone, like you, gets hurt."

Shu looked upset by the comment, "Hey I was just getting started!"

"I know, but your little scuffle told me everything I needed to know," Lao looked over to Gohan and back to Shu, "And he's a little out of your league sorry."

"Huh?" Shu asked surprised.

"He's holding back an enormous amount of power… no wonder the Master Kai thinks so fondly of him. If we're going to get an accurate feel for his abilities then I think I'm going to have to test this one myself," Lao smiled warmly to Gohan, "That is if you accept my challenge."

Gohan touched down on the ground and bowed, "Sure, I guess that would be okay."

Shu looked on completely shocked at Lao's decision to spar against Gohan himself, "But Lao… you never do the breaking in!"

Lao winked at his team mate, "This time I do." He ushered Shu to go take a seat with the other spectators and turned to Gohan, "And before we begin, I want to be clear with you that you are not to hold anything back, understand? Come at me with your full power, you're going to need it."

Gohan's eyes widened and he looked over to the Kai for confirmation, "Go ahead Gohan," The Kai answered telepathically.

"Alright then… here it goes!" A deep rumbling grunt came from Gohan's throat as he clenched his fists and spread his legs wider. Large sparks of static formed around his body striking the ground; causing plants to combust and rocks to disintegrate. Gohan's hair changed to gold as he powered through his first level transformation and on to his second.

The Serius Prime team watched in amazement as Gohan's body pumped out energy like a power house.

"Wow… That is really impressive," Lao stated flatly as he began to unbutton his trench coat. He pulled his arms out of each sleeve and tossed the coat to the side where it landed on the ground with a hard crash and indented into the ground.

Gohan looked over at the discarded garment, "Weighted?"

"About five tons or so," Lao shrugged. "Well then, shall we?"

Taking a deep breath, Gohan nodded and dropped into a ready stance.

Lao leaned forward ready to lunge, "Now keep in mind, this is going to be different from any fight you ever had while alive, the point of this is to try and figure out what I'm doing, got it?"

The introductory comment left Gohan a little confused, but he signaled his readiness again none the less.

"It's not often we get to see Lao fight, I'm actually jealous that he's being brought out for a newbie's sake. At least this is going to be a spectacular show for us," Saila crossed her legs as she sat on the banister of the Veranda and paid close attention to all of Lao's moves.

Lao started running forward toward Gohan. Gohan didn't notice anything unusual, in fact his pace seemed rather slow compared to what he was expecting. As Lao was running two more Lao's jumped out from behind him followed by a series of duplicates around each of those copies. Gohan knew of the multi-form techniques Piccolo had used in the past but when he prepared himself for the multiple targets the technique began to diverge greatly from his knowledge.

The images of Lao surrounding him began to fade in and out quickly from Gohan's vision. He looked around confused, it felt as if twenty strobe lights were being pointed at him by how quickly each would appear and vanish. He was able to sense that some of them had a power signature, but others didn't.

Gohan didn't have much time to analyze the situation as a fist was slammed fiercely into his stomach followed immediately by a kick to the back of the head and a spinning kick to the forehead almost in the same instant sent him reeling to the ground. Gohan pushed himself back up, picked up a power reading and lunged at it. Gohan's fist flew right through a phantom image of Lao, but he sensed energy approaching him from behind so he kicked backward with a strong force supporting his attack but once again only flew through a phantom.

Three strikes from the air landed in succession to Gohan's face followed by a leg sweep from the side which knocked him over finalized by a knee slamming into his stomach at the apex of his fall which successfully knocked the wind out of him.

Catching himself before he hit the ground again, Gohan grunted and flung himself skyward and began blasting at the different apparitions of his target floating around him. Not a single attack made contact and the still rapidly phasing visions of Lao approached closer and closer.

Gohan grit his teeth waiting only a second longer for the exact moment he knew Lao would initiate an attack and flared his ki creating a shockwave of energy that managed to knock Lao back from his lunge. Gohan gave chase and elbowed him down on the chest sending him to the ground. Before Lao even hit the ground, Gohan caught up to him again and grabbed his ankle swinging his body around and forcefully slamming him down. The body slam kicked up mounds of dirt and rocks which began to cloud the sky.

The Serius Prime team watched with various degrees of amazement that the boy managed to land a hit.

Saila swung around the banister she was sitting on to get a better look, "It's not every day you see our fearless leader take a good hit like that is it?"

Shu crossed his arms, "Gohan… he's not just strong… I can sense it now, so much power I'm almost shaking… But Lao perfectly combines multiform, after image, teleportation, and focused strikes all into one attack. The way he confuses his targets and then recombines himself at the moment his fist makes impact to deal maximum damage still amazes me…"

Gohan held onto Lao's ankle tight as the soil had not yet finished erupting from the point of impact. Lao's hair waved in front of his face and the only feature Gohan could make out was the man's mouth which suddenly curved into a smile. Lao's foot bent at an unnatural angle and slipped out of Gohan's grasp. The same foot planted on some solid ground and his entire body shifted in the force of an uppercut sending Gohan flying out of the hole they had just made.

As Gohan landed from the toss, two Laos grabbed onto his arms and held him in place only to disappear a split second before Lao's fist collided again with Gohan's stomach, bringing the saiyan boy to his knees.

Lao noticed Gohan was looking fatigued, "Doing alright? We can call it quits now if you want."

Gohan shook his head, "Not until I figure out how to counter you!"

Lao couldn't help but chuckle, "I've been practicing my technique for hundreds of years kid, give it time. I don't want you to hurt yourself, but if you think you're good to go still then let's continue."

Slowly pushing himself to his feet, Gohan began collecting more energy. Everyone felt the sudden power up as Gohan's hair gave off a brighter glow and lengthened. His facial features hardened and his hair reached down to the back of his thighs as Gohan powered up all the way to his maximum.

With his speed increased tenfold, Gohan dashed into Lao with a punch backed by godlike strength. The punch met with the same results however as he his fist flew through the chest of yet another phantom, "No…"

Lao appeared to Gohan's side and struck Gohan in the abdomen but seemed to have little effect. Gohan tried locking down on Lao's position, but his senses remained scattered and it was beginning to frustrate him. Lao appeared in front of Gohan only distract him while he attacked from behind, but once again his kick was entirely deflected off of Gohan's skull. Gohan was strong enough for Lao's attacks to barely affect him, but he couldn't get a clear enough reading to actually catch Lao.

Gohan was immediately surrounded by at least ten Lao's again. Gohan continued to try and land a hit and followed the disappearing images around and around unable to make direct contact. Lao led Gohan around in a spiral pattern, following a specific set of motions that Gohan failed to take notice of. Once at the center of the spiral, all of the Laos surrounding Gohan disappeared save for one directly in front of him. Gohan punched forward with all his strength only for Lao to actually catch his punch.

The spiraling path Lao had led Gohan down began to glow in the dirt below them. Using the mystical effects of the technique, Lao absorbed Gohan's wasted energy and focused it back on him. With a powerful open palm slam to the torso Lao created a huge whirling tornado that sent Gohan sailing across the planet. Gohan actually completed a full orbit before sliding to a halt.

"So Lao resorted to the Ascending Dragon Strike, what do you think Torjuk?" Laudria asked as she watched Gohan flung away.

Torjuk shrugged as he summed up his observations, "Gohan's definitely one of the strongest warriors I've ever seen before, but notice the difference in how he and Lao fight. Gohan's power keeps fluctuating up and down, but Lao's remains relatively constant. Lao is very careful not to waste any excess energy during a fight while Gohan is using a lot of power trying to get through Lao's defenses. If this were a real fight I don't think Gohan would be able to sustain that level of power long enough to win."

Shu nodded in agreement, "He's really something for someone who's so young though… It doesn't look like Lao is causing much damage anymore."

Torjuk shook his head "He still has a lot to learn before he can compete with the likes of Lao. He can take a hit pretty well, but the distinction in the way they use their energy is making all the difference."

"I guess… Gohan is still new at this after all…" Shu commented with a sigh.

"Oh like you're one to talk Shu," Sheila smirked.

"Hey!" Shu scrunched his expression looking as if he took offense to the comment.

Gohan was back on his feet with plenty of energy still in his arsenal and scanned the area for signs of Lao. "Got you!" Gohan shouted as he blasted an energy wave through a mountain. The mountain was disintegrated but there was no sign of Lao until another attack bounced off of Gohan's shoulder.

The frustrated look on Gohan's face intensified as he realized that while not causing damage, Lao was still landing hits on him while he had been unable to do the same. Lao appeared a short distance in front of Gohan almost challenging him to attack. Taking a moment to study his actions made Gohan realize dashing into a head on assault would only give him the opportunity to use that reversal again. Gohan took in a deep breath to calm himself down and clear his mind to focus harder on Lao's energy.

From across the field, Lao noticed the shift in Gohan's technique. With s smirk on his face, he dashed into Gohan again.

Closing his eyes, Gohan tried to feel Lao out as he approached and began concentrating solely on sensing the coming attacks. At the last moment before impact, Lao disappeared from in front of Gohan and threw an attack to the back of Gohan's head. Lao's smile grew wider as he saw his punch had been blocked.

Lao split into several multi forms and encircled Gohan. He would recombine on a random side and punch or kick at Gohan. With his eyes still closed, Gohan continued to block every attack. The Sovereign Kai chuckled to himself as he noticed Gohan beginning to keep up with Lao.

One of Lao's forms back flipped away from Gohan and he completely recombined as he pushed his energy into a strong ki attack. Lao's charge time was less than a fraction of a moment, but during that time he was completely composed as one sole fighter. The moment Lao threw his devastating energy cutter he realized the Gohan standing in front of him was only an after image. The real Gohan materialized out of a teleportation to Lao's side with his fist fully extended.

The world seemed to completely halt for a moment as Gohan's fist landed in Lao's stomach. Nothing moved. The looks of shock could be seen on the faces of the other members of Serius Prime as they stood frozen in time. Time caught up and Gohan drove his fist further launching Lao away causing the elite to skid across the ground breaking through several thick trees and crushing a mountain with his body from the force of the blow.

"Ouch?" Shu asked the others as they watched clouds of dust rise from the split trees and the mountain Lao was driven through crumble into small boulders. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Once the ground stopped shaking, Lao pushed himself up and dusted his pants off, "You catch on pretty quick, but there's still a lot to learn."

Almost out of breath, Gohan grinned happily as he readied himself for the spar to continue, "Then teach me!"

Lao laughed, "Alright," After thinking for a moment, Lao stretched and flexed, "then something you need to keep in mind is that when up against a strong opponent and lives are at stake, there is no shame in exploiting your enemy's weaknesses."

"I can do that if I have to," Gohan countered as Lao began to walk towards him.

"The second thing you need to remember is that not all weaknesses are apparent… sometimes you have to… dig a little to find them. Sometimes you have to find a weakness that your opponent doesn't even know he has," As Lao approached sparks of light like glittering dust began surrounding his body.

An eerie feeling made Gohan's skin crawl suddenly. Gritting his teeth, Gohan lowered his stance knowing that Lao was about to do something.

"You have a weakness you need to work on yourself don't you?" The glittering light flew from Lao's body immediately swirling around Gohan.

The light didn't seem to be an attack and Gohan only stared in confusion for a moment. Knowing something more had to be going on, he tried jumping to get away from the orbiting dazzlers. Not able to outrun the speed of the chasing light, Gohan felt something enter his body. A sudden pain in his lower spine caused his flight to falter. He almost fell back to the ground but was able to land and steady himself.

"Check it out, that's pretty cool! Gohan has a tail like a monkey!" Shu pointed cheerfully.

Gohan looked over his shoulder and noticed a tail had sprouted from the seat of his pants which was glowing golden like his hair. Several Laos appeared around him again, one on each side grabbed an arm to hold him still for just a moment as another reached behind and clenched onto his tail.

Gohan's vision went white as pain shot through his body. He yelled as he fell to his hands and knees whimpering from the sensation of his tail being crushed. Bright flames overtook his body as his transformations left him and his hair and tail returned to their normal color and length.

Lao let go of Gohan's tail, but the echoes of pain continued running from his back to his limbs. A sick nauseating feeling washed over Gohan and he barely heard Lao ask him if he was okay before he passed out.

* * *

End Chapter

And so ends the longest chapter of the story to date. I was thinking of splitting the matches to two different chapters so one would be the introductions and Gohan against Shu and the other just Gohan against Lao would on its own, but I felt like I needed to get through this part as quickly as possible so we can get back to the main story. This fight actually plays an important role in making other stuff down the road make sense… I know it's like we just finished one fight and jumped back into another, but we'll get some rest time, I promise! I hope everyone liked Lao's abilities. Haha, I have to say this chapter has more references also than any other story I've ever written before. Akira Toriyama fans are going to be jumping on me now that they knew where the aforementioned "Shu" comes from. There're also some references to a few other cool animes in this chapter, but I think I'll wait and see if maybe anyone can pick them out and leave me a review about them instead of just blurting them out.

Thank you everyone for reading, and hope to see you again next week!

'Till next time!


	21. Infinite Void

Chapter 20: Infinite Void

* * *

Gohan's eye slowly opened, testing the light coming through from the outside world. Carefully he sat up and rubbed his head. It was dark outside; at least six hours must have passed since his sparring session. He cringed as he moved feeling a sharp pain in his back and realized he must have put his weight on his tail. A slightly amused laugh escaped his mouth as he watched the furry appendage he hadn't had since he was six sway around at his side.

Standing up from the floor mat he'd been deposited on, Gohan stretched his muscles making sure everything was in working order before stepping out of the side chamber of the Sovereign Manor.

The Sovereign Kai's planet was already mostly healed from the earlier sparring matches. One of the things that continued to amaze Gohan was how the magic of the planet would rebuild mountains and fill in craters after his training left the terrain badly scarred.

There were still a few power levels wondering about the planet that Gohan recognized as the ki signatures of the Serius Prime members. Most of them seemed to be in the manor asleep though. Gohan still had a lot on his mind and decided to try walking off his worries.

Gohan's fight with Lao had actually shown him a lot. All his life he'd always seen everyone so concerned with getting stronger, becoming more powerful, but Lao had shown him that with concentration and incredible technique that a weaker warrior could dominate one who was otherwise far stronger. It left him wondering how he could improve himself to reach for that kind of level.

After aimlessly walking, Gohan found himself atop a mountain. He walked across the summit not thinking too much until he bumped into something and tripped. Gohan shook his head finding it odd that he'd bump into something when he didn't see anything in his way, but a quiet curse from under him made his eyes snap open to take a better look.

Nothing appeared to be in front of him, but after squinting his eyes Gohan made out what looked like a body imprint on the ground. Slowly the entire body became visible and Gohan noticed it was Lao he'd run into and knocked over. The older warrior rolled over and crossed his arms looking up at Gohan with a mildly amused look on his face, "Sleep walking?"

Gohan looked confused at the man, "Sorry, I didn't see you… How did you do that?"

Lao sat up cross legged on the ground, "Do what?"

"You were invisible!" Gohan exclaimed.

Lao held a finger to his lips, "It's late at night, no need to get excited… Here, have a seat," Lao turned around and looked back the other way off the mountain side.

Gohan joined him and took in the view as well. He was about to make a comment about how nice of a place this was when he noticed down at the bottom of the cliff below them the Sovereign Kai and Laudria were speaking to each other.

"I wonder what they're doing down there?" Gohan looked curiously.

"No idea…" Lao spoke in an uninterested tone.

Gohan couldn't make out what the two were saying, but could tell the Kai was looking at Laudria disapprovingly. He shook his head and turned away from the girl and slowly walked away. Whatever it was that happened, Laudria looked upset and left in the opposite direction.

"That was weird…" Gohan watched the two leave, "Do you think she got in trouble for something?"

Lao shrugged, "If he's disciplining her then it's really none of our business."

Gohan nodded, "I guess you're right."

Turning his head just enough to make eye contact with Gohan, Lao went ahead and asked, "So what brings you out here at this hour anyway?"

It was Gohan's turn to shrug, "I woke up and was still feeling sore after our match, had a lot on my mind, so I just started walking around."

A chuckle came from Lao's throat, "Sorry, I really didn't mean to put you under. You're so strong that I thought I had to hit you in your weak spot with everything I had."

Gohan stroked his tail a bit, "I still don't know how you made this grow back… I mean it got cut off when I was just a little kid."

"There's a lot you don't know still. At some point you stop feeling overwhelmed by it since you're bound to run into someone eventually who's been training a lot longer than you have. Like I told you earlier, I've been practicing mystic techniques for hundreds of years. There's no shame for someone as young as you to lose in that kind of fight," Lao tried to sound as consoling as he could.

Gohan smiled brightly up at Lao, "I'm serious about wanting to learn still!"

Lao smirked, "Alright then, we seem to have a moment, what do you want to know first?"

"How did you go invisible?" Gohan asked almost immediately.

Standing to his feet, Lao held his arms out to his side, "That's actually a ki manipulation technique. A little advanced but I'm sure you can grasp it pretty easily. It's a good one to learn since if you're planning on going on a mission with us anytime soon you're going to need to know how to camouflage yourself."

Gohan jumped to his feet and assumed the same position, "OK, I'm ready!"

"Down tiger! Remember this kind of thing requires a lot of concentration, you've got to be calm and collect otherwise there's no point to it," Gohan nodded and took a deep breath to quell his excitement. "The first thing to keep in mind is that your ki energy has great light properties. It usually lights up everything around you when you're powering up right?"

"Yeah, the more I power up, the brighter it gets most of the time," Gohan agreed.

"We don't want too much light ok?" Lao started to demonstrate, "This technique is called Tonko, the trick is to manipulate the light of your aura without giving away your position by outputting too much energy. You've got to stay undetectable otherwise there's no point in being invisible." Many small and dim particles of light began swirling around Lao's body. "The idea is you need to refract light energy around your body using your aura. You need to make your aura spin around your body. Your ki can absorb light, so what you need to do is force your ki to expel the light once it orbits around you to the exact opposite side of your body that way light particles can travel around you without being impeded upon by your mass and make you invisible to anyone watching you." Lao put two fingers to his forehead as his aura began to circle faster around his body, "Tonko!" with a wave of his hand to the side his aura moved quickly enough to solidify around him allowing Gohan to see right through him.

Gohan completely lost track of Lao's position. His power was pushed down enough that he couldn't sense him, and without being able to see him, Gohan had no way of knowing where Lao was. "That is really awesome!"

Lao appeared to Gohan's side with his arms crossed, "Alright, now you try."

Gohan thought about all the steps Lao had done and tried to mimic them. He put his fingers to his head and started concentrating. His aura lit dimly and started swirling around his body.

"Good, now concentrate on pushing the light energy with your ki," Lao coached.

Focusing harder, Gohan pictured what he wanted his aura to do and tried to pull it out, "How do you make ki absorb light?"

"Ki can absorb energy, and light is energy, so you would have to concentrate on absorbing the light energy around you. It's not an easy concept to grasp, but if you can gain enough control of your ki to channel energy in rather than out you can…" Gohan's ki actually started moving light around his body, "…Do something like that." Lao laughed slightly as he noticed Gohan refracting the light in the wrong directions making it look as if he were looking at what was behind Gohan from two different angles.

Coaxing Gohan further, Lao tried to give him more advice, "You just need to adjust it faster, you've got to throw the light particles out as they reach a hundred and eighty degrees around your body, and adjust their path to their original direction at the same time otherwise you just look ridiculous like you do right now."

"Give me a sec," Gohan strained his concentration but soon the images were shifting over to the right position. From the bottom up, the energy began to solidify, making Gohan's legs slowly disappear from sight. The vanishing slowly began to work its way up the boy's torso. It took a minute, but the aura solidified above Gohan's head and completely removed him from sight.

Lao whistled; impressed with how quickly Gohan picked up the technique, "That's it! I can still sense you though, so all you need to be working on now is lowering your energy so you won't be detected while invisible."

"Right…" Gohan still sounded strained in concentration, but his ki signature was slowly fading. For a moment Lao wondered if Gohan would actually be able to fully use the technique on his first try. As Gohan lowered his power, a hole opened up in his cover, but he was quick to close it again. Slowly Gohan's power faded away into nothing and Lao couldn't pick up on his position.

"Not bad," Lao whistled. When he didn't get a response he knew he was in trouble, "Gohan?"

Lao concentrated on sharpening his hearing to pick out Gohan's location. He barely managed to turn himself around as a young demi-saiyan tackled him, "Got you!" Gohan smiled.

"Oh man, pounced by the newbie, don't tell the others about this," both Lao and Gohan laughed as Gohan helped Lao back up.

"That was great, I never even thought of using my ki like that before, thanks a lot!" Gohan smiled admiringly up at the Serius leader.

"Don't sweat it, but there's still a lot more we have to show you. I think we should go on a field trip in the morning…" Lao rubbed his chin as a sly grin slowly formed across his lips.

"What?" Gohan asked noticing the look.

"Just something great that you need to see," Lao explained vaguely. "I'll round up the team and we'll go once everyone's up and around, so why don't you get some rest in the mean time."

Gohan nodded feeling excited by the awaiting surprise, "Alright, I'll try. See you in the morning then!" Gohan waved Lao off as he ran back to his room off the side of the manor.

Several hours later, Gohan awoke with the first light and started getting himself ready. Once his uniform was on, he ran out of his room and found Lao already up and speaking with the Sovereign Kai in front of the main entrance to the manor.

"Good morning Gohan!" The Sovereign Kai greeted cheerfully.

Gohan bowed to the Kai, "Good morning sir!"

"Lao tells me you two spoke last night and that he wants to take you to a place sacred to us Sovereign kind," there was an edge of pride to the tone of voice the Sovereign Kai was speaking with.

Holding back his excitement as best he could Gohan nodded, "Yes sir, I'm all set to go!"

The Sovereign Kai had to restrain himself from chuckling. After being cooped up on this planet for so long he understood that Gohan must be anxious to see new scenery, "Excellent, the others are on their way and we will depart as soon as they arrive."

"You're going also?" Gohan asked to make sure.

"Absolutely! I'm not about to miss the initiation of my star pupil!" The Kai grinned.

Gohan cocked his head to the side slightly, "Initiation?"

Rolling his eyes the Sovereign Kai cleared his throat, "All will be explained when we arrive, here come the others now."

Shu led the pack of the remaining Serius Prime team as they approached the manor, "Good morning!" he shouted.

"Indeed it is!" The Kai smiled happily, "Now if everyone is ready, we shall depart."

Everyone nodded so Phips jumped into the middle of the group and started powering up his rifting abilities, "One quick group jump into the heart of oblivion, here we go!"

"To where?" Gohan asked just as they disappeared.

Immediately Gohan felt himself become weightless. Everything around him was pitch black, completely and perfectly empty. There was no light, no sound, no up, no down; perfect order. After a moment Gohan began looking around frantically hoping to see something. He couldn't tell if he was turning or even if his eyes were open. Finally he tried to speak, but no sound escaped his lips.

Panic was about to set in when a bright light flooded Gohan's vision and everything changed from complete utter black to brilliant white. The light faded and Gohan found himself sitting in front of the others, Shu was hovering right over his face, "Welcome to the void!"

Shaking the uncomfortable wave of nausea from his system, Gohan stood up only to find that the ground wasn't supporting him like he thought it would. Looking down he realized there was no ground.

The Sovereign Kai was holding a sphere of energy which illuminated the team, but everything else around them was dark, "What is this place?"

Approaching Gohan with the sphere of light, the Kai decided to try and explain in the way he felt Gohan would best understand, "This place is called the infinite void. It is the space that exists between the universes of reality. The best way to understand where we are is to picture a mathematical graph. Let us say for argument sake that the x axis represents space and the y axis represents time. A universe can be depicted on this graph a straight line parallel to the y axis. Within a universe at any point in time exists its own infinite amount of space but that would make this example more complicated so let's ignore that for the time being. On this same graph now picture a planar surface extending forever across both the x and y axis; a plane where all the other lines must cross through. That plane is referred to by us as the infinite void. That is where you are now, standing outside the reaches of any universe."

Gohan's breath hitched as he thought about how such a place could possibly exist, "Wow… I just… I'm trying to picture what you're saying, but how can we be standing outside of time and still witness time passing normally between us?"

The Kai smiled at Gohan's perception, "It's hard to explain, one thing that is hard for most to grasp is idea of all points in time taking place as one. From here a timeline of the universe can indeed be viewed from a perpendicular angle which means every event in that universe is happening at the same time. This is confusing because it leads some to believe that time is already decided, and that the fate of every universe is already known. This is not the case at all you see. Time is actually very fluid, and can be changed in an instant especially when outside influence is applied."

"You mean like from other dimensions?" Gohan asked piecing a few things together.

"Exactly!" The Kai clapped, "You see when an event takes place within a universe that was never meant to happen it sends a rippling effect changing the course of history from that point on down the rest of the universe. This can be viewed from the void because of the void's special properties. You see, instead of time moving across the y axis in the void as it does in the dimensions which exist within it, time in the void follows a z-axis. We refer to it as Hyper Time."

"It's time!" Torjuk announced as the members of Serius Prime spread out.

"Time for what?" Gohan asked confused.

"They're opening the wall…" The Sovereign Kai took a step back and watched as his guardians focused their energy to make the truth behind the void visible. Like a veil being lifted from around one's eyes, the darkness began to dissipate. Gohan squinted through the haze and made out light. Not just one light but many.

All at once great streams of energy shot through their surroundings. They were gigantic, oceanic and lucid, mostly a light blue in color and slightly wavy.

"I never get over how beautiful this is…" Saila watched the great waves of energy with a starry look in her eyes.

The Sovereign Kai put a hand on Gohan's shoulder, "Those streams of light and energy you see… those are the universes of reality; each one housing an infinity in and upon itself. They extend infinitely in both directions. It truly is a sight to behold…"

Looking down at the boy, the Kai noticed Gohan was just staring off blankly, the light of the dimensions reflected brightly in his eyes. His breathing was coming in deep gasps and sweat was building on his forehead.

Laudria also noticed Gohan looking pale, "Are you alright there Gohan?"

Gohan nodded, "Yeah… I think so… It's just… whoa…" he was actually starting to feel unbalanced, like he could fall off his feet at any moment.

"Uh-oh, he's wigging out!" Shu laughed and walked over to Gohan, "Come on man, everyone gets a little freaked their first time seeing this, just come with me, we'll walk it off and you'll feel better."

Gohan's couldn't hear any of it, his ears had just plugged up. The only the only thing he could hear was his own breathing and the beat of his heart. The thumping of his heart seemed to be getting louder, stronger. Gohan shut his eyes and shook his head to try and clear his vision which was shading over with red.

Sweat continued to build on Gohan's brow, "Oh man… I think he's going to pass out again," Shu said as he wiped Gohan's forehead with his sleeve.

The Sovereign Kai's eyes widened as he felt something unusual. Lao also had a strange look about him that confirmed something odd was happening.

Torjuk had joined Shu close by to Gohan, "Come on Gohan, breathe man breathe!"

"You'll be alright Gohan, just get a grip."

"Gohan…"

"Gohan?"

"…Gohan…"

With a sudden cold snap Gohan's head jerked up. His gaze was blank as he stared at the two Sovereign Guardians in front of him. His mouth opened wide, but instead of words or moans it was a deep ferocious roar that escaped from his throat. Shu and Torjuk immediately jumped back with a start.

Phips looked Gohan over with a concerned look, "I might not be the expert here… but I don't think a roar that loud and animalistic is supposed to come from a guy that small…"

"No kidding…" Shu agreed as he continued to watch Gohan intently.

Gohan's eyes squeezed shut as he seemed to be trying to deal with whatever was happening to him. His eyes snapped open abruptly enough to cause all the members of Serius Prime to jump back from the sight. His eyes had changed from their normal white and black to a solid red. A deep loud growl continued to grumble out from Gohan's throat and then he began to change.

The Kai and his guardians watched mystified as Gohan's face stretched and contorted. His nose elongated into a snout, his jaw following and his teeth growing to form sharp points. His muscles bulged and completely burst from his clothes as a thick fur covered his entire body. Within moments the Gohan everyone had known was replaced by a silvery monkey the size of a small sky scraper. Sparks of energy and spheres of light encircles all around his body.

"It's like… Monkey… the platinum edition…" Phips blinked as he stared up at his now monstrous friend.

"Have you ever felt anything like it?" Torjuk asked in awe.

"Nope," Lao replied coolly.

"What should we do?" Saila asked feeling a bit concerned.

"Maybe we should try talking to him?" Torjuk suggested.

Shu stepped a little closer to the giant monkey and enunciated very slowly, "Gohan, it is me, Shu, are you alright?"

Another loud roar echoed across infinity as Gohan's mouth opened and massive energy began to gather.

"OH SHI…!" Shu didn't get a chance to finish as the energy was released and sent him hurdling away.

"He's out of control!" Torjuk shouted and the team scrambled into position.

Gohan swung wide with his huge left arm and swiped at the Sovereign Guards below. Torjuk took the brunt of the blow and was rolled away. Lao, Saila, and Laudria jumped over the attack.

"We need to restrain him!" Lao ordered.

"On it!" Saila moved in front of Gohan and created a sphere of light which kept flashing different colors to try and get Gohan's attention. Gohan watched the colorful sphere move as Laudria snuck around behind.

Forming whips out of her energy, Laudria pulled back and slung the whips forward extending them and wrapping them around Gohan's arm. Saila threw the colorful energy ball up into the air which burst and had the effect of dramatically increasing the gravity just around Gohan, "We got him!"

Gohan growled viciously and in one violent motion pulled his arms forward slinging Laudria around him and tossing her into Saila. The two of them rolled over each other over a great distance before skidding to a stop, "I don't think we had him…" Laudria rubbed her head as she got back up.

"Now you tell me," Saila untangled herself from her team mate and quickly dashed back to deal with the situation at hand.

Lao decided it was time for him to try his hand at the beast. He gathered his mystic energies causing spheres of light to circle his body. He split into multiple forms and started surrounding Gohan.

Faster than Lao was expecting, Gohan grabbed onto all three of his forms, one in each hand, and another he ensnared with his tail, "For as big as you are you're still pretty fast aren't you?" Gohan began to squeeze each of the Lao's causing his eyes to widen as the pressure around his midsections increased.

"LET HIM GO!" Shu was back on his feet and running toward Gohan. Shu's shadow enlarged and the blue dragon held out its hands and grappled Gohan as the great ape dropped Lao to the ground who immediately recombined himself.

Laudria and Saila used the opportunity with Shu distracting Gohan to try restraining him again. Creating many more whips, Laudria wrapped them around every one of Gohan's limbs as Saila encased Gohan inside an intense gravity box.

"Start reeling him in!" On command Saila and Laudria started pulling back on the binds hoping to bring Gohan to the ground.

Gohan roared loudly as he once again easily ripped the binds from body and started blasting everyone around him with intense beams from his mouth and eyes.

Everyone was knocked away. Shu was flipped over and rolled to a stop a good distance away, "I will not give up… I will not give up!" He clenched his fists tight as he stood back up and summoned as much magical force as he could and charged back into Gohan again, "FLARUS SWOOOORD!" His dragon shadow's fist ignited into magma and crashed dead on into Gohan. The area shook from the shockwaves of heat after the critical blow and flames and smoke engulfed Gohan entirely.

"Did you get him?" Torjuk stammered as he got back up and stood by his team's side.

"EVERYONE MOVE!" Lao shouted as a huge beam exploded from within the smoke.

Everyone jumped out of the way in time and stared at the still standing monkey, "He didn't even have to charge to fire a blast like that… this is nuts!" Torjuk stammered staring at the gigantic terror.

Shu shook his head, "It's like my most powerful spell didn't even faze him."

"This is indeed unexpected…" The Sovereign Kai looked down to Phips, "We are at a huge disadvantage knowing nothing about this state of transformation Gohan is in. Phips I need you to find someone with more knowledge on saiyan anatomy and ability."

Gohan threw a punch bowling over Shu and Saila at the same time. The attack was immediately followed up by a blast in another direction at Lao and Laudria. Torjuk was swatted away with his tail as he tried to sneak up from behind.

Phips nodded, "Sounds like a good idea, I'll be right back!" Phips snapped his finger and disappeared with a loud pop.

Inside the known universe on the small planet of a certain Northern Kai, King Kai was busying himself about on his tiny planet watering his plants when he heard a loud pop outside his house.

"King Kai! King Kai! AHH It's a monkey!" Phips panicked while running across the planet.

King Kai stepped outside his modest home, "What's all the commotion?"

Phips saw King Kai come outside and hurried over to him, "King Kai, King Kai sir! I'm an aid from the Sovereign world and we have an urgent question for you!"

King Kai's eye brow quirked behind his sunglasses, "Sovereign world…? Oh well, sounds important anyway, what is it?"

"Do you know anything about a race called the saiyans?" Phips asked hurriedly.

A goofy smile played across King Kai's face, "I might know a little bit about them. They're almost extinct right now, but I've been keeping an eye on a few of them who are still around. What do you want to know about saiyans?"

"By any chance…" Phips thought of how best to describe the problem, "do saiyans like maybe… turn into giant monkey things?" Phips hoped he wasn't sounding completely ridiculous.

King Kai nodded, "As a matter of fact, you see whenever a moon is full and casts its light down upon a saiyan he will transform into a mighty creature called an Oozaru. Saiyans used to use this great transformation to decimate entire planets, thus conquering them and making them ready for sale on a galactic trade market."

Phips couldn't help himself as he said, "Sounds like these saiyans don't monkey around!"

King Kai tried to cover his mouth as he broke out laughing, "Saiyans, monkey around! That's a good one! Actually you could say they're in the monkey business!" Both King Kai and Phips started laughing together.

"Or maybe they just have a thing about going ape?" King Kai started laughing even harder patting his sides trying to calm himself down.

"You're a good one! Oh you can come work for me any day!" King Kai said as his laughing finally began to die down.

Phips was also calming down a bit, "I wish you would have told that to King Yemma a couple hundred years ago before he decided to kick me out of his dimension."

"Oh, you worked for King Yemma huh? And he did what?" King Kai asked while straightening out his glasses.

"Yeah, after firing me, you could say he gave me the boot!" Once again they both broke out into laughter.

Phips smiled to himself once his hysterics subsided and suddenly realized he left the team in a very bad situation that they were still dealing with, "OH YEAH!"

"Hmm?" King Kai noticed Phips sudden straightening of posture.

"King Kai, you mentioned that the full moon turns a saiyan into a giant Oozaru, is there anything besides the moon that can trigger that?" Phips asked hoping to get some insight on the situation.

"Well…" King Kai thought, "Technically it's not the moon that fuels this transformation. Saiyans absorb radiation that is given off by full lunar activity. Most of the scientists who have studied this phenomenon call the radiation bluntz waves. So it's possible for other heavenly objects to emit similar radiation patterns which could trigger similar transformations in a saiyan. The stronger the waves, the more radical the transformation I would imagine."

"So if a moon turns a saiyan into the Oozaru you're talking about… then a universe could… oh dear…" Phips face palmed starting to understand the situation they'd put themselves in. "Is there any way to reverse the transformation."

King Kai nodded, "Yes indeed, you see a saiyan absorbs radiation in through their tail which triggers the transformation cells within their body. They are unable to sustain their transformation without a constant supply of this radiation, so cutting off the tail will return a saiyan to normal. In fact most peaceful saiyans live without their tail specifically to avoid accidentally transforming and going on a rampage."

"Hehe… Rampage…" Phips chuckled to himself but quickly shook it off before the joke could continue, "So wait a minute… you're saying it happens because of the tail?"

"That's how it works," King Kai affirmed with a nod.

"Oh man, is Lao ever going to be pissed at himself, this is great!" Phips rubbed his hands together as he pictured Lao beating himself up for being an idiot. "Well it was great meeting you King Kai! I need to go now! Bye!"

Bubbles and King Kai both waved Phips off, "Stop by anytime!"

With another loud pop, Phips vanished.

Phips appeared inside the void as a large beam of power blasted over his head, "WHOA!"

"Phips, over here!" The Sovereign Kai called from where he was hiding. Phips ran over to him to seek shelter from the wild blasts Gohan was still continuously firing. Lao took a hard hit and was flung back toward the two.

He grimaced as he slid to a stop by the Sovereign Kai's feet, "Find out anything useful?" He muttered.

"You're going to love this!" Phips started, "Turns out the key to this whole mess is Gohan's tail! The reason saiyans cut their tails off is so that something like this doesn't happen!"

Lao looked grimly over at Phips, "Like I was supposed to know that…"

"Turns out Gohan's little weakness wasn't much of a weakness after all, huh?" Phips snickered.

"We'll talk about it later!" Lao jumped back to his feet and ran back into the fray, "Everyone, concentrate on the tail, we've got to cut it off!" The other members of Serius Prime were all looking badly beaten, but they stood to keep going anyway.

Saila floated close by Gohan and used her abilities to flip the direction of gravity to throw off his balance. As quickly as she altered the gravity's directional force, Gohan's energy would immediately compensate to keep him steady.

Laudria created another energy whip and tried to wrap it around the base of Gohan's tail. She was successful in her first endeavor, however her strength levels were depleting as she used the energy whip to squeeze the tail only causing to turn around and slap her out of the way.

Lao dashed quickly all around Gohan, leaving countless after images hoping to throw off the oozaru's sight. Gohan was hardly fazed by the attempt as he could follow Lao's moves as easily as if he were walking. With a harsh backhand, Gohan slammed Lao away from him.

"SHINUS!" Shu shouted casting a bright spell to blind Gohan for a moment. The spell seemed to do the trick, but as he moved around Gohan, the great beast slammed his elbow down onto his shadow dragon's back with enough force to snap the dragon back into Shu's normal shadow like a stretched rubber band sending Shu tumbling backward.

The whole team seemed to be going down when a shocked look of pain crossed the oozaru's face. Torjuk had spent the time the others had Gohan's attention powering up an energy disk which formed inside Gohan's tail, cutting it clean off upon expansion of the energy.

Gohan stumbled forward a bit and sank to his knees with a heavy crash. A grumble bellowed out from his chest sounding like he was in pain, but he wasn't shrinking down yet. Gohan's head angled up into the sky and he let out a loud howl as a new tail generated over the stump of the old one.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Torjuk grunted as he sank in his stance.

"Well that wasn't part of the lesson plan…" Phips blinked as Gohan's apparent tail regeneration ability.

"Something is different…" The Sovereign Kai squinted his eyes regarding Gohan's enormous form carefully.

Gohan had not yet climbed back onto to his feet. He remained on his hands and knees panting heavily and staring out at nothing. He was making no move to continue the violent attacks.

"Perhaps the painful shock of having his tail cut off has awoken some part of Gohan's actual consciousness…" The Sovereign Kai started approaching the towering giant, "Gohan!"

"No, don't get near him!" Laudria shouted to the Kai.

"Don't worry; I think it's alright…" The Kai tried to sound as reassuring as he could, "Gohan, can you hear me in there?"

An unintelligible grumble came from Gohan's throat.

"I can sense Gohan struggling within the creature for control," The Sovereign Kai floated up to Gohan's face and put a hand on his forehead, "That's it Gohan, reel in the savagery, make it work for you…"

"…IT'S… HA… HARD…" Gohan spoke in a loud deep voice fitting of his current form.

"But you're doing it, keep pushing through the barrier!" The Kai encouraged.

Gohan's mouth opened letting loose a deafening roar which seemed vibrate all across eternity. The Kai backed away as a glow overcame Gohan's enormous form. Waves of gold and silver encased him and began to swirl around him. The rivers of energy which made up the river like dimensions surrounding them appeared to be reacting and gave off a similar glow.

A strong pulse of energy created a shockwave which spread quickly from Gohan's body pushing everyone away from him. Everything around the Kai and Serius Prime began to quake as Gohan's entire body gave off a brilliant light.

"My word…" The Sovereign Kai watched from his prone position where he was knocked down to as Gohan began to shrink down from his enormous size. Underneath the powerful glow, his outline began take on a more human shape once again.

Bolts of static surrounded Gohan as the light slowly faded and Gohan fell forward onto his normal hands and knees. Every member of Serius Prime was stricken in awe by the powerful aura Gohan was emitting. His hair was spiked up tall and was dark silver or platinum in color as well as his tail. Gohan's eyes opened as his breathing normalized and the others could see his eyes had become a striking gold.

Slowly everyone approached. The danger seemed to have passed, but the Sovereign Kai asked just to make sure, "Gohan… are you alright?"

Gohan slowly nodded, "I think so…" He could feel the new power burning within him. The same power which had threatened to consume him and everything around him moments prior he had managed to contain and place under his control. He looked down at himself and then back up to the Kai with a slight blush on his face, "I could use something to cover up though…"

Lao laughed and pulled off his tattered trench coat and draped it over Gohan's naked shoulders.

Gohan saw how torn up it was and looked at everyone around him realizing he was the one who had beat them up pretty good, "I'm really sorry everyone…"

"Don't be sorry, you didn't know that was going to happen," Saila hugged Gohan consolingly as he stood up.

"Yeah, it's alright," Shu reaffirmed, "If it wasn't for that being one of the scariest moments of my entire existence the whole giant monkey thing would have been really cool!"

Gohan smiled at the lot of them and bowed his head, "I owe you guys a lot still."

The Sovereign Kai sensed Gohan over trying to fully grasp this new form Gohan bore, "This is incredible Gohan. To think a race exists which could harness the power of dimensional radiation and unleash it with such force. And now you're holding that power under your control, it's amazing."

Gohan bowed to the Sovereign Kai, "I couldn't have done it without your coaching."

The Kai chuckled, "You are special, though this form doesn't seem to fit with your other super saiyan transformations does it? We're going to have call it something different."

The eyes of Serius Prime fell onto the Kai as he thought for a moment and finally held his hand over Gohan's shoulder, "As this form was triggered and attained thanks to the effects of hyper time, I dub this new form, Hyper Saiyan."

Everyone laughed and clapped at the ingenious naming scheme. Gohan held the coat tighter over his shoulders as he thought about the designation and smiled, "I like it."

Returning the smile, The Sovereign Kai signaled over to Phips, "Alright then, let's go home."

"Next stop, happiest place on infinity, all aboard!" Phips called as he started powering up his rift in the middle of everyone.

The Sovereign Kai chuckled to himself, "Sometimes you really make me wonder, Gohan; if your kind's exponential advancement knows no bounds…"

Phips opened the rift and moved them all back to the Sovereign world.

"And that's how Gohan was able to use that same power when he was fighting that nasty bad guy earlier today!" Phips explained excitedly.

"I don't know… hyper saiyan doesn't sound that great to me…" Trunks mumbled.

"I think it sounds awesome! I wish I was a hyper saiyan!" Goten exclaimed while imagining himself as one in his head.

"For his sake I hope Gohan wakes up soon or I'll get to the really embarrassing parts!" Phips grinned evilly to himself, "Or maybe I should hope he doesn't wake up until after I'm done."

"Tell us! Tell us!" Goten and Trunks whined.

Phips laughed and continued, "There's still plenty of story left! So once we got back…"

* * *

End Chapter

Well now this is definitely the longest chapter so far in the story. I've been trying not to make the chapters so long, but I didn't want to spend too much time in these flashbacks so we can get back to the main plotline as soon as possible.

OK so I know I'm going to hear about this so I wanted to briefly explain the "Hyper Saiyan" thing. Basically it's a reference to the DC Kingdom series of comic books. It's my way of paying homage to one of my favorite story lines. Goku and Superman have been compared and pitted countless times, but in Kingdom Come, Superman and Wonderwoman have a son who is partially raised by Batman who becomes Hyperman. So my take is a boy who is born to Goku(Super Saiyan) and Chichi(Wonder B!#$%) and raised partially by Piccolo would become Hyper Saiyan. Flame me if you want, but I'm sticking to it now.

Thanks for hanging out with me through this, and we'll see you next week when we finally dive back into some juicy drama!

'Till next time!


	22. Northern Crater

Chapter 21: Northern Crater

* * *

The world was white. It was like staring at a blanket of snow, but Gohan felt hot. His vision began to clear up and detail returned to his sight. Above him was a ceiling he had not seen in a long time but he recognized it instantly. The familiar bright white décor of Kami's lookout was always calming. Gohan sighed as he leaned back into the plush bedding he'd been left on.

Memories of just before his passing out returned to Gohan's head. He had fought Ru and managed to buy some time by locking him away in the Dead Zone. He'd taken a good beating during the fight which meant his friends must have brought him here to heal. Gohan couldn't help but smile knowing he was finally going to get the chance to really see everyone again. He also felt nervous though. He'd been away for so long the worry lingered that some of them would be angry over his extended absence.

"Ah, you're awake Gohan!" a voice called from the door.

"Mister Popo!" Gohan smiled to the man as he approached the bed.

Mr. Popo carried with him Gohan's Sovereign uniform and set it on the bed by him, "I fixed your clothes for you, and your friends were all waiting in the main hall for you to wake up. I'll start preparing some food, I'm sure you'll all be hungry soon."

"Thank you very much Mister Popo," Gohan unfolded his clothes noticing they had been reworked to near perfect condition.

"It is good to see you again Gohan," Mister Popo smiled before heading off to the kitchen.

Gohan pushed the covers off and stood up from the bed. He actually cringed slightly feeling his muscles still a bit on the sore side, "Man… that fight took a lot out of me…" Gohan quickly got dressed and walked to the main hall anxious to see his family.

As Gohan approached the doorway to the hall he could hear Phips's voice echoing through the corridor, "Oh it gets better still! It was cool and all that Gohan stopped the Ragnabots from erasing a big chunk of the time stream, but Saila in particular was so happy to still exist that she kissed him! And I mean… k-i-s-s-e-d him! I had never seen Gohan blush so red before! He swore it was nothing but you could tell he…"

Phips looked up and noticed Gohan leaning against the far wall of the room with his arms crossed looking right at him with a displeased expression.

"Oh… umm…" Phips giggled to himself as he hopped off his chair and slowly started backing away, "Well that seems to be all the story time we have today kids…"

"Huh? But I want to know what happened to the Ragnabots!" Goten whined.

"And did Gohan and Saila get together?" Trunks asked pleadingly.

Gohan couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, "The Ragnabots all lost power and died after the vert singularity closed and no nothing ever happened."

Everyone turned to see Gohan standing behind them. Goten and Trunks stared at the older boy as if they were caught in the beams of headlights not sure what to think.

Dende grinned from ear to pointy ear as he saw his old friend up and around.

"Check it out!" Krillin jumped up first and ran up Gohan, "It's been a while bro! Man you're looking good!"

"Thanks Krillin, and whoa… you have hair!" Gohan stated excitedly as they high fived each other.

"Married life has just changed me like that I guess," Krillin flashed the wedding band on his hand.

"That is awesome Krillin, man I'm sorry I missed that," Gohan patted Krillin on the back, "Still, congratulations!"

Goku approached from Gohan's side and wrapped his arm around his son's shoulder, "I guess you do have a lot of catching up to do, there's someone I think you really need to get to know also."

Already having an idea of what Goku was talking about, Gohan looked over to the front of the room where Goten was still huddled by Trunks. Gohan calmly walked over to the two of them with a gentle look on his face, "Hey."

Trunks took a slight step back out of nervous reaction. He still clearly remembered that the last time he and Gohan were at such close proximity to each other it didn't end to well for him.

Seeing Trunks back away only made Goten more nervous as he seemed to be studying every move Gohan made. Gohan kneeled down on his haunches to look eye level into Goten's own eyes, "Are you my little brother?"

Goten nervously stared back into Gohan's eyes, staying silent for a moment before simply saying, "I'm Goten."

Gohan's smile widened, "Hi Goten, I'm Gohan."

Slowly Goten took the last few steps over to Gohan. He put a finger against his lips as he looked Gohan up and down. As if testing to make sure what he was looking at was real, he put a hand out to Gohan's face touching him and then ran the same hand up to Gohan's hair recognizing the strong saiyan mane.

Goten thought back to the photo album he'd seen so many times filled with pictures of his brother. Now close up it was obvious some of the features he shared with his dad but still had an aura about him unlike anything else he'd ever known. Thinking about that photo album reminded Goten of the times he'd seen his mother crying while flipping through the pages. With Gohan standing in front of him Goten started picturing all of them together as a big happy family, "Brother!" Goten called as wrapped his arms around Gohan, hugging him for the first time.

A strange sad feeling washed over Gohan at that moment. He'd missed seven years of his young brother's life and found tears building up in his eyes as a feeling of shame washed over him. He tried not to let his emotions get the better of him as he held Goten a little tighter, "I'm sorry I haven't been there for you little brother… That's going to change…"

Goten lit up a bit and looked up at Gohan's face, "You're going to be staying with us now, right?"

Gohan got the feeling that many eyes were watching him waiting for the answer to that question. As delicately as he could, Gohan explained, "Goten… As much as I wish I could come back and stay forever… I'm not a part of this world anymore." The excitement in Goten's face dropped and he started looking unsure of how he should react to what Gohan was telling him, "But that doesn't mean I won't come visit a lot more often!"

With a small nod Goten quietly said, "Okay…"

After ruffling Goten's hair a bit, Gohan energetically lifted Goten up, "That means we need to make the best of the time we've got, so come on!" To emphasize a cheerful mood, Gohan started tickling Goten before he set him down causing the boy to laugh and kick.

Everyone watching couldn't help but feel content, despite the news that Gohan wouldn't be staying. Piccolo just felt relieved to learn that Gohan had been doing well over the last few years. He had been making new friends and making a difference for the universe. A reoccurring nightmare to him had been the image of Gohan tumbling through torrents of emptiness and darkness for all time. He was glad to put that fear to rest.

As Gohan put Goten down their stomachs started grumbling, "Mister Popo said he was going to be making some food, so how about we all go eat, I'm hungry!"

"Yay, food!" Goten and Trunks yelled as they ran over to the dining hall.

Everyone started following them over to get some food themselves before the boys ate it all. "Gohan," looking to the left Gohan saw Vegeta standing by a wall calling him over.

Gohan stepped over to Vegeta quickly to find out what he needed. Vegeta looked Gohan up and down and started, "We heard much of your tribulations from your companion. You've done much and I can tell you've become a strong warrior. You've done your race proud." A shocked look overcame Gohan's face as he stared at Vegeta with his moth slightly agape. "What?" Vegeta asked quietly.

Breaking through the stupor of the moment Gohan finally responded, "Ahm… Thank you Vegeta. Really, that means a lot to me." He had been taken off guard to actually receive a compliment from Vegeta. It wasn't just the compliment, but also the fact that Vegeta didn't even seem to flinch while giving it. Things really had changed over the last seven years.

With half a nod Vegeta started walking off, "Come on then, we need to get to the dining hall before your father eats everything."

Gohan chuckled and ran after him to be sure he got his share of the meal.

A few minutes later Phips was standing to the side of the saiyan's table as the five of them tore into the food, "And here I was thinking Gohan was bad… how does this planet sustain you lot?"

Krillin walked over and stood by Phips, "I'm pretty sure Bulma had to invent food replication for Vegeta and Trunks, where Chichi gets enough food for Goku and Goten is probably the eighth wonder of the world…"

"Yeah, I'd hate to be the owner of an all you can eat buffet around them…" Phips shook his head and continued to watch.

Piccolo sipped on his water quietly as he waited for the lot of them to finish.

"Good stuff, thanks a bunch Mister Popo!" Gohan sighed contentedly.

"Absolutely Gohan!" Mister Popo bowed with his normal toothy grin showing before taking the dishes away to clean them up.

"I hate to bring up something serious now, but…" Piccolo approached the table as the saiyans were leaning back and now able to listen since they were no longer stuffing their faces, "That enemy you locked away in the Dead Zone, Ru, how much time do we have before we have to worry about him again?"

Gohan nodded solemnly, "Ru is a dimension shifter. The Dead Zone has strong imprisoning properties, but it won't take Ru long to build up enough power to break free. I'm sure I dealt a good amount of damage to him during our fight, and it should take longer to recover in the Dead Zone than out here. We should have at least a day or two before he's able to reenter the normal realm."

Piccolo crossed his arms knowing the battle was far from over, "Do you have a plan to deal with him once he escapes?"

"I know why he's here… It's because of Majin Buu. Ru and Buu are counterparts from different dimensions, so if Ru is able to combine his essence with Majin Buu he could raise his power beyond anything else ever seen in the universe. He's obsessed with attaining that power…" Gohan thumped on his head thinking for a moment, "I can still sense Majin Buu below us… If we could take Buu out before Ru escapes the Dead Zone then it would completely foil his plans for becoming a Harmony. Once my power builds back up then all of us together… we should be able to take Buu down in time. With Buu out of the picture Ru will be one furious fighter. Without an objective here though he should storm off and never return."

"What are the chances that he will be so angry he may want to wipe out the entire planet?" Vegeta asked darkly.

"Wow, why do you ask that?" Goku shivered at Vegeta's seriousness in the question.

"Because it's what I would have done years ago if I was so close to achieving such a grandiose plan only to have it fail," Vegeta crossed his arms as he walked.

"Well that's what we're here for," Gohan thought for a moment, "He's immortal so we can't kill him. The only thing we can really do is chase him away."

"You want to shoo him away like a fly?" Goten asked.

Gohan laughed at the thought, "I suppose so… we're just going to need a really big swatter."

As the group of Z Fighters walked across the top of the lookout the sky unexpectedly turned completely black. Everyone stopped and stared for a moment at the radical lightning before the realization set in all at once.

"Bulma's summoned Shenron!" Yamcha shouted.

Gohan shook his head, "This isn't good, we're going to need a wish once all this is over…"

"We'll stop her," Goku put a finger to his forehead and another hand on Vegeta's shoulder and teleported away to Bulma's location.

In front of Capsule Corp, Bulma and Chichi stood before the Eternal Dragon. Bulma watched the dragon form with a stern expression on her face, while Chichi was looking slightly emotional, "Dragon!"

The glow around Shenron faded as his summoning completed, "You have awoken me from my slumber, state your two wishes!"

Bulma and Chichi nodded to each other, "Dragon, we wish for everyone killed today to be brought back to life!"

"So be it…" The dragon's eyes lit up glowing bright red for several moments, "Your wish has been granted, please state your next wish…"

With a sigh of relief that the people from earlier had now been restored to life, Bulma looked over to Chichi, "Well then… would you like the other wish Chichi?"

Chichi sniffed slightly and smiled, "I don't know… I really don't want to hear the dragon say it can't be done again…"

"You don't know if you don't try…" Bulma encouraged.

Building up her confidence, Chichi looked up to the dragon, "Thank you… Alright then, dragon!"

Goku and Vegeta appeared out of thin air in front of the group. Everyone stepped back at first from shock and then from worry.

"Uhoh, Shenron is already summoned…" Goku and Vegeta stepped through the group and looked up at the dragon wondering what to do for a moment.

"HEY! You two have a lot of explaining to do!" Bulma's fiery spirit kicked in as she and Chichi leaned over their husbands with hot death glares and daggers in their eyes.

Goku grinned awkwardly, "Yes we do, but everything is okay now, so we just need to get things settled and…"

"It's only okay because we just brought everyone back, now explain this instant what on earth you were thinking!" Chichi shouted at an ear blistering level.

"That's not good; they already used one of the wishes…" Vegeta grumbled.

"Yeah, let me find out what we can do then…" Goku concentrated on Dende, "Hey Dende, we're over here by Shenron, but he's already out and granted a wish, what can we do?"

Dende nodded and thought quickly, "It should be alright to dismiss the dragon then. The balls will disperse but will charge in half the time as normal as long as there's still a wish left."

"Six months instead of a year, got you!" Goku looked up at the Shenron and shouted, "That's actually everything we need you for today, you can go now!"

"GOKU!" Bulma shouted.

"Then I bid thee all farewell," The Dragon gave off a bright golden glow as he faded away. The Dragon Balls floated in the sky and spread across the planet once again.

"Chichi was going to use that wish Goku! Just what's wrong with you today?" Bulma yelled at the man furiously.

"Bulma, calm down…" Vegeta put his hands on Bulma's shoulders to restrain her.

Immediately struggling against her husband's grip, Bulma shouted, "Don't you "calm down" me! And you're also just as much to blame for all this! Let me go!"

"There's a lot that needs to be answered for, yes… And what happened at the tournament was horrible but it can be explained calmly at Kami's tower. There's a lot that's happened today and hopefully things will make sense once you hear everything. But right now you're all in great danger still, we need to leave quickly," Bulma noticed the concern in Vegeta's voice which encouraged her to stop fighting him. With a slightly aggravated nod, she backed off and stood civilly by the others.

"Now everyone hold onto each other," Goku put two fingers to his forehead in concentration as the others placed their hands on his shoulders. They immediately vanished from in front of the Capsule Corps headquarters and appeared on the top of Kami's Lookout.

The moment they appeared Goten saw them and ran over to Chichi, "Mom!"

A look of relief crossed over Chichi as she saw Goten was alright and she kneeled down to catch him as he ran to her. She grabbed onto him and was nearly in tears, "Oh Goten, Mommy was so worried that you had been hurt today…"

Goten pushed Chichi off of him, "I'm fine mom!" he exclaimed. "You're never going to guess who I saw today!"

Chichi wiped her eyes and smiled to her son, "And who's that dear?"

Goten pointed to the edge of the lookout, "Look over there!" He shouted excitedly.

Chichi looked over the crowd and noticed Piccolo standing by the edge looking down. He seemed to be talking to someone. At first Chichi assumed Goten was talking about Piccolo as the namek always seemed to excite Goten for some reason. Soon though the entire crowd fell silent and looked in the same direction.

"It's him, it's really him!" Goten told her excitedly as he pulled her into the crowd.

Chichi tried focusing through the people standing in front of her, but only noticed the look of complete astonishment on her father's face, "What's going on dad?"

"Oh Chichi…" was all the Ox King said.

Now curious, Chichi pushed her own way to the front of the group and finally noticed a boy standing at Piccolo's side.

Piccolo stopped whatever he was saying and looked over his shoulder, "I think they're all looking at you," he grinned.

The black hair on the boy was styled just as she remembered it last, and when he turned around she got a good look finally at his face, "Oh my god…" Chichi's eyes began to water up all over again.

A wide grin crossed Gohan's face, "Mom…" he ran over to her as she fell to her knees trembling and nearly outright crying. Gohan ran straight to her and hugged his mother, "I missed you mom!"

"Gohan!" Chichi held him as tight as she could as she sobbed into his hair.

Bulma covered her mouth as she watched the scene play out. She and the others could feel the emotions coming from the two of them, and it put her on the brink of tears herself.

Chichi had been literally wishing for this moment for the last seven years, and now all she could do was hope this wasn't some kind of dream. "My son… you're here!" her words barely made sense as she sobbed them out.

"Yeah, I'm right here mom…" Gohan realized his mom was going to be a mess when she saw him, but he still wasn't truly prepared. He sighed once again wondering how it was that he didn't even notice so much time passing…"

As Chichi gripped onto Gohan's hair, her eyes opened and she noticed the golden ring floating slightly above her son's head. She loosened up her grip and leaned back to look properly at Gohan, "My son… my son's an angel…" she couldn't help herself as the statement coaxed even more tears from her.

"It's okay mom… I'm alright, I've been alright…" Gohan whispered to her.

Chichi buried her face into Gohan's clothes, "I… I love you so much Gohan…"

"I love you too mom," Gohan felt his mom's weight press up against him, "mom?"

Goku walked over to them and put a hand on Chichi, "She fainted."

"I'm sorry…" Gohan whispered quietly.

"She just wasn't ready for another big shock today, she'll be fine after she rests a bit," Goku picked Chichi up and took her to a bed to sleep comfortably.

"My gosh, Gohan, look at you!" Bulma stepped past the others, "You haven't changed a bit over the last seven years…"

"I guess being dead kind of does that to you," Gohan joked.

"And nice clothes, they look good on you," Bulma struggled also to keep her emotions in check, but was faring well.

"Thanks," Gohan smiled appreciatively, "It's so great seeing all of you again also, wow there's a lot I need to tell you."

"Believe me we're listening…" Bulma encouraged.

"First let me stand up for my dad and Vegeta and say that what happened at the tournament today was not their doing. You see there's this wizard who controls people and…"

"ATTENTION DENIZENS OF EARTH!" a shrieking mental voice invaded everyone's minds interrupting Gohan.

"…and sounds a lot like that…" Gohan added as he ran over by Piccolo to watch over the side of the lookout.

Babidi's mental projection reached the minds of every person on the planet when they closed their eyes and saw Babidi standing by the Dark Buu overlooking a city.

"Behind me stands the ancient terror known as Majin Buu! He has more than enough power to rid this pathetic world of life in an instant; however he has a request he wishes to make before he destroys you all. You see, a group of warriors decided to stand against Majin Buu and he wishes to deal with them personally and prove once and for all that his power is uncontested in the universe. I give you the opportunity to hand over these warriors to us and Majin Buu might spare the lives of you insects. For every hour that these fighters remain aloof, Majin Buu will destroy one of your cities either until we have the fighters we want or until the entire planet is destroyed. To prove our seriousness, Majin Buu will demonstrate on this quaint little town…" Babidi stood aside and pointed to the metropolis East City.

"Oh no…" Gohan whispered to himself.

Majin Buu waved a hand and in a blinding instant the entire city was evaporated in light and energy and wiped clean from the earth. It wasn't until several moments later that the explosion actually reached the very ears of the Z Warriors as the shockwave resounded across the planet. The lookout actually shook from the violent attack.

The Z Fighters all grit their teeth in anger as they watched the atrocity take place.

"You have one hour before the next city is targeted, I suggest you hurry, you never know if the next town could be yours!" Babidi snickered and faded the psychic connection he made with the planet leaving the lingering images of Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan, Goten, Trunks, and Phips in the minds of the populace.

"Hey…" Krillin moaned while his eyes were still shut, "How come I'm not on the threat list?"

"Do you really want an answer to that question?" Eighteen mocked as she stood behind her short husband.

"This is bad… We're going to need to do something fast…" Gohan's anger started flaring up.

"No," Piccolo stood in front of his young pupil with his hands extended. Even though it pained him as well to say this, it was for the best still, "We have time, so we wait… I know it's not easy, but for now we let Babidi and Majin Buu be while the three of you rest your power back up. We can't risk a confrontation without being at our best otherwise everyone is going to die anyway. We can always wish everyone Majin Buu kills back to life later with the Dragon Balls."

Gohan took in a deep breath to calm himself. "I can't stand this…"

"Everything will be alright, we just have to be well prepared for the coming battle," Piccolo managed to sound perfectly calm as usual even though on the inside he too was filled with raging torment.

Still feeling the soreness from the earlier battle and knowing what Piccolo was talking about, Gohan sighed in defeat and walked back toward the temple. He was being quiet and a moody look had crossed his face. When he turned he noticed Goten watching him looking worried. The stern look on Gohan immediately softened and he motioned Goten to go with him, "Come on then, let's do something to take our minds off what's going on for a while."

Goten smiled, "Okay!"

Everyone followed into the temple to talk and rest and wait for the right moment to come.

* * *

End Chapter

I was hoping to convey a lot of different perspectives and emotions to how they're dealing with Gohan's return in this chapter. A lot of it was focused on Goten and Chichi because I really felt that those should have been the most powerful emotions mostly since Goku already had a reunion scene with Gohan back in chapter ten and of course a mother like Chichi who lives emotionally of course should have a complete breakdown I would think. A curious thing that happens is trying to deal with Goten who really is a happy go lucky kind of kid but is still coping with meeting a brother he'd only known in stories before. I hope it went over alright.

Another thing I wanted to ask the readers. Now that everyone has been introduced to the Serius Prime team of Sovereign Guards, the idea has been bouncing around my head of making them a separate little mini-series. Nothing as big and grandiose as this story is turning out to be, but I was thinking I should be able to pull maybe a once a month update or something like that for a sub story. I just wanted to find out if the readers who are liking ZAT:Immortal would find a story that focused on the quasi-original characters of Team Serius interesting? Please leave me some comments and tell me what you think!

Thanks everyone!

'Till next time!


	23. Biding Time

Chapter 22: Biding Time

* * *

Goku smiled happily to himself as he watched Gohan and Goten playing together. It was like a dream he'd had since Goten was born to watch the two actually be brothers. Yesterday had been both the best and the worst day of his life at the same time. The best because his son had finally come home after seven years, but also the worst because that wizard Babidi had made him do such horrible things… Babidi had made him kill so many innocent people, and he'd even hurt Gohan. There had been nothing he could do to resist the powerful spell, but still it left him feeling ashamed to the point he was having difficulty looking Gohan in the eye.

Vegeta was also in the room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Vegeta was better at masking his emotions, but Goku could tell the prior day's events were plaguing his mind as well. Goku sighed to himself; Bulma's wish had eased his conscience by bringing the people he had killed back to life, but it did little to relieve the remorse of hurting his own son.

The fight between Gohan and Ru played over in his mind; he had seen Ru target Gohan's ribs and attack the same spot until they broke. Ru almost defeated Gohan because he had been the one who cracked Gohan's ribs in the first place. And Gohan had screamed in so much pain…

A hand was placed on Goku's shoulder, as if sensing his distress, Goku looked up and saw Gohan smiling to him and gave him a simple nod to gesture everything was alright. The smile returned to Goku's face as Goten lunged for Gohan's other hand, "Come here! Come here! You gotta see this!"

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" Gohan laughed being dragged away.

He stopped as a power level became known approaching the lookout fast.

"Is that Buu?" Yamcha shouted in panic.

Vegeta ran outside onto the lookout grounds, "Buu is still far from here, this power is…"

Everyone ran outside to see what was coming as Kibito flew over the rim of the lookout and landed hard staring everyone down distrustfully.

Goku was taken aback by the angry glare Kibito gave everyone, "You're alive Kibito!"

Kibito only glared at the remark and marched toward the group, "I can sense that you all failed in the mission to stop the release of Majin Buu. For some reason this planet has not been destroyed but he has begun to wreak havoc across the world destroying cities every hour!"

"We know Kibito, and we're going to go stop him as soon as we've recovered from the last battle," Goku explained softly hoping to calm him down.

Kibito's temper only faltered further, "You're going to stop him? Have you not realized that Majin Buu is unstoppable? WHERE IS THE SUPREME KAI?"

"Oh yeah!" Gohan shot up and ran back inside the temple, "Phips! I forgot all about the Supreme Kai!"

Kibito quirked an eyebrow in Gohan's direction but Gohan quickly returned with Phips in tow, "I left him back at the battlefield, grab on!"

"The battlefield?" Kibito sounded perturbed but was taken aback at the boy he'd never seen before and the imp at his side wearing the garments of the legendary guardianship.

Goku put a hand on Gohan's shoulder motioning for Kibito to do the same. Phips grabbed onto Gohan's pant leg as they disappeared from the top of the lookout.

In an instant they stood atop the disturbed ground from the prior day's battle. Craters lined the area and nearby mountains had been completely crushed. A look of dread crossed Kibito's face as he took in the damage, "Such ferocity… The destructive force of Majin Buu is truly limitless…"

"Destructive force of Majin Buu?" Phips started laughing, "Really you supreme leaguers need to get over yourselves."

"How dare you foul creature?" Kibito howled.

"Whoa, calm down there luggy! I'm just saying that the worst thing Majin Buu did… was this," Phips held up a cracked robotic head.

The head fizzled in Phips' grasp, "Th…ey… call me… Ga…to…"

Phips nodded, "Yeah, Majin Buu kind of broke it…"

"I have… Me…tal… joints…" The head continued to buzz.

"Down kitty!" Phips tossed the head to the side.

Kibito grumbled at Phips antics, "It matters not, where is the Supreme Kai?"

Gohan was wondering in front looking around the area carefully, "He should be close by…" Kibito's eyes widened as Gohan lifted up a large displaced rock and looked underneath, "Nope not there…"

Fearing the worst for the Supreme Kai, Kibito sank to the ground, "The Supreme Kai is dead… all is lost…"

"He's not dead!" Gohan laughed, "Let's see… we destroyed the ship… So that should have also transported the singularity… but where… oh wow it's up there!" Gohan floated up a few meters into the sky, "Phips come here! I found him!"

"Coming!" Phips floated over to Gohan and looked over the boy's handiwork, "Not bad…" Phips circled around apparently nothing, "You managed to push him into a pocket dimension just a second out of sync with reality… There must have been a weak spot in space time here."

Gohan crossed his arms, "Are you saying I couldn't have done that on my own?"

Phips chuckled, "Well… if I recall the last time you tried to actually create a unique singularity into a pocket dimension…"

"Alright, alright, point made…" Gohan sighed in defeat.

Kibito shook his head watching the two of them interact, "Who are they…?"

"Oh, well Gohan's my son, and Phips is a friend he made from another dimension," Goku explained as if these kind of occurrences were normal.

Phips rolled up his sleeves, "Okay, let's crack this egg!"

"Just be sure the contents don't ooze out like one…" Gohan pleaded.

"I promise nothing!" Phips cracked his knuckled and held his hands out, "Trust me though, I am a professional!" Phips drew a line with his fingers that began to glow over the invisible barrier. He then drew many cross lines over the first line and reached up to the top, "Here it comes!" He pulled on his energy like a zipper and opened a flap into the pocket dimension of which the Supreme Kai immediately fell out of.

The Supreme Kai shouted as he fell several meters from the opening of the pocket and hit the soft dirt below. He slowly pulled his face out of the sand, "Great galaxies, what's going on?"

Kibito immediately ran to the Kai, "Supreme Kai sir! Are you alright?"

Noticing Kibito was an emotional wreck, the Supreme Kai waved him off, "Yes, I'm fine thank you… Wait… Kibito, you're alive!" The two jumped at each other and hugged.

"I feared you were lost forever!" Kibito said through tears.

"And I thought for sure you had met your end…" Shin replied a little more controlled.

Phips cleared his throat loudly getting their attention. The Supreme Kai and Kibito looked up noticing Goku and Gohan both had their hands over their heads looking in other directions whistling to themselves.

Shin and Kibito separated slowly and coughed dryly signifying the end of their emotional moment.

Goku nodded to the two, "I guess we should head back to the lookout and fill in the Supreme Kai about everything that has happened, huh?"

A surprised look crossed Gohan's face, "Oh shoot I'm forgetting everything today, hold on!" running back out the other way, Gohan jumped in and slid down one of the craters.

"We should let him pick up his toys I suppose," Phips grinned.

At the bottom of the crater, Gohan blasted away the dirt which had settled above his fabled weapon and pulled it back out into the light. The shimmer of the blade gave off the normal radiance of three colors.

Gohan holstered the sword behind his back as he climbed out of the crater, "I'm ready now."

The Supreme Kai and Kibito eyed the sword Gohan had with him carefully, "That is most certainly an unusual weapon…"

Nodding to them as he approached Gohan answered, "The Sovereign Kai calls it The Realis. He said something about other relic swords are created in universes based off of this one. I think he said the weapon most similar to this sword from our dimension is called the Z Sword or something like that…"

Both Shin and Kibito face dropped at hearing the comment, "Impossible for a weapon like that to be anywhere near as taxing as the Z Sword!" Kibito stated proudly.

"Oh boy here we go…" Phips shook his head, "We could probably argue all day long over which weapon is better but all you really need to know is one thing…"

"And what's that?" Kibito challenged.

"Gohan," Phips grinned slyly to himself hoping Gohan would go along with it, "Would you please hold the Realis out for Mister Kibito to try?"

Gohan's unknowing expression clearly showed he was unaware of the chain of events allowing Kibito to try and hold the Realis would cause. Phips continued to watch with a sort of satisfaction as Gohan pulled the sword out with one hand and held it out, "Sure."

With a rock solid stature about him, Kibito placed a hand firmly upon the hilt of the sword as Gohan handed it to him. Gohan released the sword and immediately it began to fall. The smug look oh Phips face completely vanished as he noticed the giant man was falling in his direction. He watched in slow motion as Kibito's face became awash in panic as the tremendous weight pulled him to the ground. Without time to move away, Phips mentally opened a rift under his feet. Gravity was too slow to allow Phips to sink through the rift hole in time and the hilt of the sword impacted his head forcing him through as it fell instead. The rest of the sword collided with ground causing the earth to shake and clouds of dust scatter far in all directions.

Goku watched wide eyed as Kibito pushed himself back up and noticed the sword had indented itself into the rocky ground quite deep. Gohan simply reached in with one hand again and lifted the sword by its hilt and reattached it to the holster on his back, "I'm sorry, I should have mentioned that it's really heavy."

Shin shook his head amazed at how Gohan was moving such a massive object without any hint of strain.

"Where'd Phips go?" Goku looked down at the spot Phips had been standing where only the indenture of the sword remained.

Gohan scratched his head, "I'm trying to sense his location…"

Far away from the four of them, Phips was slowly opening his eyes, feeling the worst headache he'd ever imagined possible. As his eyes refocused he noticed there were many small glowing clouds hovering over him tilted downward as if they were watching him.

"Where am I?" he sat up and looked ahead. His mouth dropped as he saw the large building with horns decoratively carved at the top, "It… It is! It's King Yemma's checkpoint… Wait… am I dead?" Phips looked up but didn't see a halo. He felt the top of his head and cringed from the sting, there was a huge bump in the center between his four ears, "No I'm not dead… But if I'm at King Yemma place…" He squinted in the direction of the building, "Then OH do I have a bone to pick with _YOU_!" Phips jumped up quickly scaring the little clouds around him away and ran past the line of souls waiting to be judged.

"Boring, go to heaven… Next! Yeah? So what? Alright, heaven… Next! How many? Yup… HELL! Next!" Phips ran in through door puffing hard out of breath.

King Yemma's eyebrow twitched, "Oh no… it's you…"

"Yes… it is I! I have returned a new Imp!" Phips began flamboyantly, "As you can see I have spent the last seven years serving a much higher power than you! Oh have I waited long for this day… For the day to come to finally tell you what a fool you were to have banished me! Me who has become an indispensible asset to the whole of reality! Me who has now spent the last seven years training to become a luminescent being of awesomeness! So long did I spend wandering the infinite abyss, alone in maddening tweener worlds of nothing! I spent eons with nothing to occupy my time with but thinking of bad puns! I spent hundreds of years coming up with sarcastic counter remarks to anything you could possibly say to me! I spent decades formulating…"

"PHIPS!" King Yemma yelled to shut him up.

"Give me your worst!" Phips challenged.

"I kicked you out eight years ago, now get the _HELL_ out of my office!" King Yemma ordered.

"Aha! So you… wait…" Phips started doing the math in his head, "You kicked me out of here eight years ago… I spent the last seven years training on the Sovereign world… So I was wondering the infinite waste lands for…"

"ONE FREAKING YEAR! NOW LEAVE! IF I EVER SEE YOU AGAIN THEN I REALLY WILL LOCK YOU AWAY FOR ALL TIME!" King Yemma fumed.

A sound of a teleport caused Phips to turn around as Gohan materialized behind him, "So this is where you are! Hey that must be King Yemma!"

"GET OUT!" King Yemma yelled as he picked up his "HELL" stamp and actually threw it at Phips.

Phips held out his hand and rifted the stamp away, "Haha I was ready for that too!"

Gohan looked down at Phips with a blaming glare, "What have you been doing?"

Phips grinned sheepishly, "I didn't do anything I swear!"

Bowing to King Yemma politely Gohan told the giant behind the desk, "I'm terribly sorry for my… associate… we're leaving now." Gohan grabbed Phips by the wrist and teleported them both away before either of them could be sentenced to an eternity of damnation.

The two appeared instantly on Kami's lookout; Gohan roughly let go of Phips's arm, "Would you mind not making enemies with the being who gets to decide who goes to heaven or hell?"

"Hey, hey!" Phips held a hand up to Gohan, "He had it comin… Now if you'll excuse me… I'm gonna go play with a new toy of my own!" Phips walked away and started tossing the "Hell" stamp up and down.

"I don't think you should play with that!" Gohan called after him.

"Don't worry; out here it only works on dead people!" Phips shouted back.

Gohan pointed to his head, "Halo, do you mind?" Phips chuckled evilly and kept walking away.

On the other side of the planet, dozens of human guards stood outside a steel chamber standing guard. Thousands of people gathered outside feeling this spot to be the safest place on the planet. Banners and signs and flashing television ads all spelled in enormous letters "SATAN!"

The eldest daughter of the world's savior, Videl Satan, stood outside her father's preparation chamber. He had been in there since the previous day summoning forth his strength to put an end to the terror of Majin Buu just as he had done years ago to Cell…

"Come on dad… what's taking so long…?" Videl grumbled watching as the crowd howled her father's name.

Inside the heavy steel chamber, Hercule was wrapped up inside a blanket cowering in the corner of the room, "Why don't they just go away… oh this stinks! I don't wanna die!" He sobbed buckets of tears into his light blue security blanket.

A reporter made it past the divider and pushed her way up to Videl, "Miss Videl, please tell us how your father plans to deal with this horrible menace wreaking havoc across the globe!"

The look on Videl's face showed complete confidence and strength, "We're going to find this Majin Buu and we're going to crush him into the ground leaving nothing left to ever harm another human being!"

The reporter looked shocked, "We? You mean you're going with your father?"

Videl's stance became more solid as the look of determination on her face intensified, "My dad could probably take this Buu clown on all by himself, but for what happened at the tournament I'm going to make sure I knock out a few of his teeth myself! The world needn't worry; as soon as my dad is ready Majin Buu will be but another bad memory!"

"But Videl, after your bad loss at the World Martial Arts Tournament, do you really feel you're ready for such a monumental battle?" The reporter delved.

Videl nodded, "Don't ask me how I know this to be true… but I have a strong angel supporting me… and with his light showing me the way, I… will… not… fail!"

The guards caught up to the reporter and started dragging her back to the other side of the divider, "You heard it here first ladies and gentleman, Videl and Hercule Satan are almost ready to double team our planet's latest threat. We can all rest assured that our future will be secured by their amazing strength."

Videl crossed her arms as she continued to wait. Finally the steel door to the chamber cracked open with a strong hiss of escaping steam. Mister Hercule Satan stepped out of his preparation chamber once again baring his usual mask of confidence. His brown and white gi and cape were neatly pressed, and the golden world champion belt across his torso shone brightly from being overly polished.

No one noticed the sweat drop on Hercule's head as he stepped before the crowd and lifted his hands to strike his pose of victory, "YEAAAAAHHHH!" He yelled causing the entire crowd to wave and cheer wildly.

Far above the clouds Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo completed their explanation to the Supreme Kai and Kibito of the battles against Ru and Majin Buu. The Supreme Kai sank to the ground taking the information in.

"This Ru… Then… he's in my dimension trying to merge with the greatest terror our kind has ever known to become an even greater threat… His plan must never reach fruition; we must stop him at all costs!" Shin influentially stated.

Goku took in a deep breath, "This is why we have to defeat Majin Buu right away before Ru can escape the Dead Zone and return. If we all attack together then we should be more than enough to stop this new form of Buu's."

Piccolo nodded, "Just keep in mind that we're still not completely sure how high Majin Buu is capable of raising his power. You and Vegeta managed to wear down his prior forms, but as he's had time to rest as well I'm sure we'll be fighting him at higher levels of power than before…"

"It'll be alright Piccolo," looking to the side, Piccolo saw Gohan still sitting casually by the group of them, "This time it will be all of us together! There's no way Buu can stand up to a force like that!"

Piccolo couldn't help but smile at his former pupil. He nodded and did find a bit of assurance in Gohan's words.

"Hey Krillin!" Goku called as he saw him walking by.

"What's up?" Krillin asked as he ran over.

"This might be a little hard but I need you to do a favor for me," Goku looked up at the temple and saw everyone they'd brought here for safety from Bulma and Chichi to Master Roshi and the Ox King, and even Bulma's parents, "I need you to find Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu and bring them here to the lookout. It's important we have everyone ready just in case."

Krillin gulped at the "just in case" part but nodded, "I haven't seen him in a while, but sure I'll go look for him."

"Thanks Krillin!" Goku waved Krillin off as he jumped off the lookout and began flying across the planet staying clear of Majin Buu's energy.

Gohan got up and stretched his muscles, "It's time then…"

Sensing the others readiness, Vegeta approached the group, "I checked with the cat downstairs and he only had three of the beans ready," He tossed the bag to Goku.

Goku caught the bag and tied them to his belt, "We'll have to make it work then."

Goten and Trunks saw everyone getting ready and ran up them, "We're going too!" Goten yelled.

A worried look crossed Goku's face and he looked as if he were about to say something when Gohan kneeled down and put his hands on Goten's shoulders, "Goten, I know you want to come with us, but I've got something really important I need you to do."

Confused by the statement at first, Goten blinked a few times and held his arms up in determination, "What is it that you need me to do?"

Gohan reached into his pocket and pulled out a green prism, "Goten, I know you don't know what this is yet, but it's really important, hold onto it okay?" Gohan set the jewel down in Goten's hand, "With all of us gone there's not going to be anyone left to protect mom and the others. I need you and Trunks to make sure nothing happens to them. If anything happens to us, you keep them safe, okay?"

Goten clenched the jewel in his hand as Gohan's words sank in. He wanted to go fight with his brother and father so bad, but he understood that someone had to watch over everyone too, "Okay…"

Gohan patted Goten on the head, "And if mom wakes up before I get back, tell her I love her very much…"

"You'll be back to tell her yourself!" The words came out of Goten's mouth as more of a command than a comment.

Gohan closed his eyes and smiled wide, "Of course! Just in case she wakes up first though…"

Shin couldn't help but grin at the younger boys as he stood by Kibito ready to disembark.

Giving his brother one last confident look, Gohan stood a rejoined the others, "Is everyone ready?"

Everyone atop the lookout crowded around as their warriors gathered and prepared to leave. Bulma nodded to Vegeta signifying her belief in him. The others waved in similar gestures.

Goku put two fingers to his head and concentrated on Majin Buu's location, "Got it, here we go!" The energy built up around him and in an instant the six of them vanished.

"Be safe…" Bulma whispered into the wind.

* * *

End Chapter

And so our interlude draws to a close… I wanted to throw a bit of humor in before we get back to the seriousness of the situation; I hope it was enjoyable. I love writing about Phips… He's just so much fun to pull out of the hat; I don't know what it is…

If you have time, please throw some comments my way! I'd actually love to hear some more suggestions for the story at this point. Also I'm going to be spending this weekend going over the entire story and probably fix a bunch of the grammatical errors and typos. The story is going pretty well, but it's so long and I know there're plenty of typos still in it. Reason I'm doing this is I want to get the story ready for the new miniseries… Hehe yup I got the draft figured out, so I'm hoping next week will be the first post of the Series Prime story! Don't expect anything as grandiose as this story; I'm shooting for maybe a thousand words per chapter if even… But hopefully it will be entertaining as well.

Can't wait to hear from you! 'Till next time!


	24. Dark Intentions

Another Friday, and we finally get a new installment to ZAT:Immortal! Real quick though, I wanted to use this space to let everyone know that the first section of ZAT:Serius has been posted here on ff dot net! You can find it at .net/s/5313922/1/ZAT_Serius_Prime There's not much there right now, but my objective is to provide some insight on various happenings throughout the whole story through it as well. It's a little different than this story and I'll say probably a little darker… Hope you like it if you read it!

That's it, so onto the main event!

* * *

Chapter 23: Dark Intentions

* * *

"The cowards still don't want to show themselves…" Babidi snickered to himself as he and Majin Buu stood atop a cliff looking over West City, "I guess it's time to blow up another one of their cities, care to do the honor Buu?"

The Dark Buu took a step forward and grunted. He held up a thick muscular hand into the sky and collected his energy. The power gave off a deep purple light that darkened the sky as it built. An evil smile came over Buu's face as he reached back and prepared to throw the attack at the unsuspecting city.

A loud clash sound echoed across the empty plateau as the space in front of Buu and Babidi became occupied. Standing in front of them now were most of the same fighters the two had been searching for, along with the Supreme Kai and his body guard.

The energy retracted into Buu's hand as he lowered his arm into a more relaxed position.

"So you finally show yourselves!" Babidi laughed to himself in his squeaky tone, "I was wondering exactly how many people you would allow to die in your place before your consciences would force you to give yourselves up!"

"You're such a fool Babidi!" The Supreme Kai shouted in anger, "You have no idea what you've done and here you stand actually believing that creature to be under your control. You fail to understand that he will dispose of you as well the moment he no longer has a use for you."

"You're the fool Kai!" Babidi countered, "I have complete control over my father's creature!"

"Your father said the same thing before Buu mortally wounded him. It was your father's last act to seal the creature away before meeting a most painful end," The Kai retold, "By sealing away the beast, Bibidi had hoped to save you from its wrath, but now you have gone and condemned yourself to the same fate."

"LIAR!" Babidi screamed loudly, "You're only trying to cover up the fact that it was you Kais, you and your pride and arrogance that killed my father!"

The Supreme Kai shook his head, "As lost of a cause as your father was before you…"

Babidi grunted loudly, "Buu, I order you to kill them!"

Majin Buu looked disdainfully down at Babidi before complying and launching himself from the spot toward the group. Buu's fist careened forward ready to strike the Supreme Kai but was blocked by an arm which appeared in front of the Kaioshin, "Not so fast there pal…" Gohan pushed Majin Buu back and assumed a ready stance in front of the Kai.

Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo stepped up to Gohan's side, ready to work together to stop Majin Buu for good.

Dende watched the battle commence from atop the lookout, "It begins…"

Yamcha stood close by to Dende as he concentrated on sensing the auras below, "They're gonna blow that Majin Buu away!"

Continuing to stare down towards the earth, Dende held his silence to the other man's remark.

With a confused look on his face, Yamcha continued, "Well they are right? Come on Dende, can't you tell? They're a lot stronger than Buu is now right?"

Dende's eyes shifted to the side as he thought for a moment, "Yamcha… the problem is none of us have any idea how strong Majin Buu truly is. Although Goku and the others are incredibly powerful for all we know that power could be insignificant compared to Buu's maximum. I wish I could say for sure that things will be fine, but I really don't know right now… And something… something else just isn't right…"

Yamcha's face elongated in concern before quickly returning to looking over the side of the lookout, "Come on guys, I believe in you!"

Goku and Vegeta immediately power up all the way to their third level transformations this time. Deciding to go all out from the start, they launched themselves at the Dark Buu.

Buu held up an arm and blocked Vegeta's initial Punch, but Goku swept past with his knee extended managing to catch Buu in the face and knocked him back.

Piccolo powered up as well, a strong purple aura built up around him and he flew in to support Goku and Vegeta. Gohan floated up into the sky and studied Majin Buu for a moment longer hoping to feel out the depths of the monster's energy well.

The Supreme Kai and Kibito stared Babidi down from only a few meters away, "Your creature has his hands full with those saiyans which leaves you without any defense wizard."

Babidi held his hands forward, and a small red shield formed around his body, "Don't believe me to be helpless you blundering Kai! I have a few techniques I've saved especially for you!"

"Kibito!" The Supreme Kai ordered, and immediately Kibito dashed across the short distance and brought his fist down upon Babidi's shield. A loud crash filled all their ears upon impact, but the shield emitted a strong reverberation which flung Kibito away from it.

"PAPARAPAPA!" Babidi's traditional enchantment was spoken as a ring of energy escaped the spherical shield encasing the magic user. The ring flew at remarkable speed toward Kibito and the Supreme Kai.

"Don't let it touch you!" Shin shouted and the two jumped out of the way. The ring easily changed course and began pursuing the two through the air.

Goku flew through air, spinning fast with his leg outstretched landing the roundhouse to the side of Buu's head. Vegeta followed in close ramming his fist into Buu's stomach. The two saiyans jumped away from Buu as Piccolo appeared in front of the creature, "EXPLOSIVE WAVE!" Piccolo hit Buu with the attack and broke him into many small globs of ooze.

It only took a moment for the different segments to reattach themselves and Dark Buu reformed. His face though first devoid of emotion twisted into a sinister smirk and he began to laugh.

Gohan appeared behind Buu already transformed into his second level of super saiyan and dropped his elbow to the back of Buu's beck. Dark Buu's eyes widened as he was driven into the ground; his body exploded on impact with the rocks.

Not satisfied with the attack, Gohan threw a ball of energy into the ground underneath the puddle of Buu. From below the energy exploded throwing a massive geyser of power upward engulfing the pieces of Buu launching him upward into the sky.

Goku dropped his hands to his side, "KAMEHAME…"

Vegeta stretched his arms out and began collecting energy as well, "FINAL…"

Piccolo and Gohan readied themselves to join the attack, "EXPLOSIVE DEMON WAVE!"

"MASENKO HAA!" Gohan charged quickly and fired the beam upwards toward Buu's life force.

"HAAA!", "FLASH!" All four of them launched their attacks near simultaneously. The four beams met and swirled around each other, almost becoming one massive wave of immense power. The attacks made their mark, washing Dark Buu away in the flood of energy.

Dark Buu was carried off high past the upper atmosphere where the beam exploded. The shockwave returned to earth with enough force to quake the entire planet.

The Supreme Kai and Kibito shielded themselves from the shockwave of the blast and were distracted long enough for the ring of magic Babidi had thrown at them to catch up and ensnare them both.

The ring constricted and held Shin and Kibito tightly back to back. They struggled against its power trying to break out of it but were violently shocked by the magical essence. From the shocking sensation the world turned black and both the Supreme Kai and Kibito felt a sharp jab of pain. It only lasted a moment then the ring disappeared and let the two fall.

"Are you alright Kibito?" Shin asked quickly.

"I believe so sir…" Kibito looked over himself.

An evil laugh filled the air as Babidi, still enclosed in his shield floated above them, "Oh you're far from alright… That spell you were both caught in is a little something fun I like to call a _death sentence_!"

The Kaioshins looked up in shock at the news Babidi was relaying, "You…"

"Five minutes… then both your life forces become mine to use as I please!" The maniacal laughter continued.

"There must be a way to stop it…" Shin consorted with Kibito, "We must destroy that barrier that protects Babidi and divulge the means to cancel his spell, hurry!"

"Yes sir!" Kibito and the Supreme Kai launched themselves furiously up toward the small wizard.

The saiyans and Piccolo remained standing on the ground, watching the sky above for any sign of Majin Buu.

"Think we got it?" Goku finally asked.

"I doubt it…" Piccolo grunted.

Gohan nodded, "He's starting to reform again…"

Majin Buu's power became known again as it started falling to earth. At the edge of their eyesight a shapeless blob was tumbling through the atmosphere. It twisted and contorted until it began to take shape and formed the body of Dark Buu once again.

Buu gathered energy into his hands as he fell and with a loud howl he tossed the ball straight down to the ground.

"No way!" Goku and Vegeta jumped in the way to intercept as the planet killer neared touchdown. Between the two of them they caught the attack, but as Majin Buu continued his descent, he gathered a second energy wave in his hands with the intention of igniting the first energy ball he threw.

Before he could throw the attack, Gohan appeared to Buu's side with his foot already imbedded in Buu's stomach. The two vanished into a burst of super speed, appearing a short distance away, the image of Gohan blocking Buu's punch visible for only a nanosecond before they disappeared again. The two moved quickly across the sky locked in a fierce burst attack. Gohan ended the struggle with a strong uppercut sending Dark Buu high into the sky.

Finally taking control of the planet killer energy ball, Goku and Vegeta tossed the wave up into the air. The ball was on its way out of the atmosphere when Gohan teleported to Buu's side, grabbed the monster by the ears, and hurled him into the ball's path. The two struck each other creating a second devastating explosion over the earth.

The Supreme Kai's eyes were glowing bright blue as he used his powers to bounce Babidi around. Babidi was yelling as he was knocked around inside his protective barrier, "Only four more minutes… only four more minutes…"

Kibito leapt from the ground and dove upward to strike Babidi's shield with a glowing fist. Energy gathered around the point of contact and with an unconventional pop, the shield simply vanished exposing the wizard.

"Now we have you!" Shin shouted as he leapt for the wizard.

"Not yet! PAPARAPAPA!" Babidi surrounded himself by several crystals which began spinning and encircling him. The spinning crystals changed colors from a transparent purple to a deep red and flung themselves toward Kibito and the Kai.

"Ahh!" Shin shouted as two of the crystals hit him and knocked him back. Kibito landed nearby in a similar fashion, "Those really hurt!"

The Supreme Kai and Kibito slowly stood back on their feet. "PAPARAPAPA!" Babidi shouted as a second set of crystals began orbiting him again.

"He's attempting the attack a second time!" Kibito growled.

"This time we'll be ready!" The crystals turned red and began to fly toward the two. The Supreme Kai held out his hand, "KACHIN!" A solid wall of pure Kachin formed in front of the two. The crystals all hit the wall and shattered. Immediately after the attack concluded, the Supreme Kai dismissed the wall, "NOW!" The two dashed toward Babidi again.

Babidi saw the two coming and in an unexpected move inflated himself. As Kibito swung his arm at the wizard, the movement of air brought by his thrust pushed Babidi in his balloon like form away before the attack could land. Both the Supreme Kai and Kibito took shots at Babidi with the same effect.

"Heeheehee, you're running out of time!" Babidi laughed to himself as the two kept blowing him around.

In the sky, Majin Buu reformed once again and slowly descended toward his opponents. Piccolo grunted out of frustration, "It doesn't even matter how many times we blow him up, it doesn't affect him at all!"

Gohan eyed the monstrosity carefully before it burst toward them launching an attack. Gohan followed its movements as it punched Goku and spun sideways delivering a kick to Vegeta. It jumped off of Vegeta and dove for Piccolo next. Piccolo put up an arm to block the attack and the two growled at each other for a moment before knocking each other back.

Goku and Vegeta recovered and dashed forward to engage Buu again. Goku tackled Buu as Vegeta powered up another strike to blast away at the monster. The Dark Buu melted out of their reach and reformed a short ways away where it threw another energy ball that Vegeta kicked to the side.

Jumping into the fray in front of his father, Gohan dashed toward Buu eliciting another punch from the creature. Gohan knocked the punch to the side and stood his ground facing the larger Buu. Dark Buu began to attack furiously, punching and kicking at the smaller saiyan boy. Gohan blocked and dodged every punch.

Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo came rushing to Gohan's side to help him, but Gohan held a hand out to stop them, "Wait!"

Buu jumped back angrily and watched over his opponents speculatively.

"What's wrong?" Piccolo asked concerned.

Gohan shook his head, "It's Buu's power… It's not balanced…"

"What do you mean not balanced?" Vegeta asked while not taking his eyes off of Buu.

"Haven't you noticed? He is strong, but his attacks aren't really hurting us. He's fast but I can still watch his every move. But every time we hit him he either shrugs it off or really pelts us…" Gohan crossed his arms as he watched Buu continue to huff nearby.

"So all of his energy is focused in his defense… or…" Goku thought.

"Or he's absorbing the energy we use to attack him and holding it for the right opportunity to strike us with it!" Vegeta growled.

Gohan tried to sense deeper, "You could be right! The stronger the attack you use on him… the stronger he then becomes… It's the perfect system…"

Piccolo lowered his posture looking frustrated by the turn of events, "Then how do we stop him?"

"I don't know…" Gohan tried thinking of a way out of the dilemma.

"You think maybe the Kai might know?" Goku asked as it was the first thing that came to his head.

Gohan and Goku looked at each other for a moment, "Wouldn't hurt to ask… you guys keep him occupied, and try not to attack him."

"Only two minutes left!" Babidi flew across the sky as he deflated, "PAPARAPAPA!" with his hand pointed up toward the sky, dozens of fireballs launched from his upturned wrist.

"Watch out!" Kibito grabbed the Supreme Kai and turned them around to try shielding the Kai from the coming attack with his own body.

Gohan appeared behind Kibito and formed an energy shield in each hand. As the fireballs approached, Gohan deflected them away quickly using the shields. Once the attack concluded, Gohan turned to the Supreme Kai, "Supreme Kai sir, I need to ask you a question."

"Just a little more than a minute!" Babidi continued to laugh hysterically.

Looking concerned at the wizard, Gohan changed his question, "A minute for what?"

Kibito grit his teeth, "That blasted wizard cast a death sentence curse upon us. We have only a minute before the spell takes our lives!"

"Oh…" Gohan turned and saw the wizard still rolling across the sky above them, "Then I guess we need to get it out of him first then!" Pulling his hand back, Gohan gathered a bit of his energy and threw it at the wizard. Instead of a power blast, the energy formed a shield which opened up and ensnared Babidi in the air.

"What are you doing?" Babidi shouted angrily.

The energy was still attached to Gohan through a small stream of power between his hand and the shield. Gohan pulled hard on it and slammed the shield into the ground with Babidi in it. The wizard collapsed in a heap from the rough treatment. Gohan lowered the shield and Babidi tried crawling away, his body protested the movement.

Gohan came up from behind Babidi and put a foot upon the wizards back, "Remove your curse on them, now!"

Babidi looked up defiantly at the Sovereign Guard, "No!"

Placing a little more pressure on Babidi's spine, Gohan demanded, "Take the curse off of them!"

Babidi started to panic worrying he might be squashed like a bug, "I… I can't… I created that spell to be cast permanently; I never created a removal for it!"

Gohan grunted before encasing Babidi in another energy prison, "PHIPS!"

On cue, the imp appeared in front Gohan, "You rang?"

"Phips, the Kai and Kibito are about to die, can you help them?" Gohan pleaded quickly.

Phips looked over the two, "They sure don't look like they're in bad shape or anything…" Phips scratched the back of one of his ears.

"The wizard cast a death sentence on the two of them, we need it removed!" Gohan explained.

"Oh nasty stuff death magic…" Phips looked the Kai and Kibito up and down, "How long they have left?"

"Less than a minute!" Kibito informed the imp.

"Ohhh…" Phips tugged on Gohan's sleeve and pulled him down to whisper, "I think they're screwed."

"I don't want to hear that Phips," Gohan spoke with a strong urgency in his voice.

Nodding, Phips rolled up his sleeves, "Alright there's just one way to cure a death sentence, and we need to time it just right! Gohan, give me two of those beans."

"My dad has them…" Gohan teleported to the other side of the battlefield where he grabbed the pouch off of Goku's belt, "Need these!"

"Okay…" Goku replied as he blocked Dark Buu's punch.

Gohan appeared by Phips again and quickly opened up the bag, "Here, two beans."

Phips took the two beans and held one in each hand, "Okay we have the beans… what are we missing…"

"Phiiiips…" Gohan insisted hoping to hurry his friend along.

"I need something of the caster!" Phips ran over to Babidi and opened a hole in the energy shield, "You cast the spell so you're going to have to give something up to cure it."

"What do you want from me?" Babidi grunted angrily.

"Your eyes or your heart would do nicely!" Phips grinned as he pulled out a cleaver from behind his back. Babidi paled as he saw the Imp lunge toward his head, "I suppose a few strands of hair will have to do though." Phips cut off the few loose strands of hair from Babidi's scalp.

"I really hate you!" Babidi screamed before Phips closed the hole in the shield.

"Didn't hear, don't care!" Phips ran back over to the others. With a few strands of hair and a bean now in each hand he began channeling spirit energy through the items. The hairs melted away in Phips' grasp and the beans began to glow, "Now listen up," Phips pushed the beans into Shin's and Kibito's mouths, "The tricky part is going to be that you have to swallow the beans the moment you die. Too soon and it won't have any effect… too late… and well… I think you know where you'll end up!" Phips chuckled to himself but the upset looks from the two victims told him they were not amused.

"How long before time's up?" Gohan asked.

The Supreme Kai and Kibito looked at each other and then back at Gohan, "We lost track of the time!"

Phips shrugged, "You should be dying any second now…"

Neither of them looked as though they appreciated that remark either. "Do you find our plight amusing?" Kibito sounded angry.

"No," Phips shook his head, "What would be funny is if you choked to death on the beans that are supposed to save you!" the imp broke out laughing.

"PHIPS!" Gohan shouted, "Focus, please!"

"Right…" Phips straightened himself out, "Get ready everyone, it's death time!" Phips snapped his fingers and both Shin and Kibito began to stumble to the ground. Phips ran up to the two and pinched each of their noses. A bright white light washed over both of them as they swallowed the beans and they opened their eyes.

"Now keep in mind I'll have to charge you extra for making a house call," Phips held out a hand looking as if he were awaiting compensation.

"Thank you Phips," Gohan patted the imp on his cap and stepped around him.

"Indeed, we are most grateful," The Supreme Kai pushed himself back to his feet.

Phips shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking away, "A Supreme Kai… grateful… I guess I'll just have to wait longer before I get to use my new toy… shucks…"

Gohan just kept shaking his head, "Supreme Kai sir, the question I had for you from earlier, I need to know more about Majin Buu! What do you know about his powers?"

"His powers…?" The Supreme Kai saw the serious stare Gohan was giving him and stuttered.

"Please sir, is there anything you know that could help?" Gohan pleaded.

"Yes, I'm sorry," The Supreme Kai sighed, "Only that means I must tell you the guarded truth behind Majin Buu…"

* * *

End Chapter

Sorry for the minor cliffhanger there. There're a lot of details going on all at the same time and I didn't want to cram it all into one chapter here. Once again I was trying to give some time to other characters besides our mains and I think it made for an interesting time. Things will be picking up big time in the next chapter though.

Please leave me a review and I hope to see you back next week!


	25. One Way

A new milestone has been achieved for me… This story has surpassed 100,000 words! Technically it surpassed that mark a while ago, but I wasn't really considering the posting of the original story as counting towards the full word count as it was about 10,000 words just in itself. So thanks to everyone who has reviewed for pushing me to take the story this far. It has been quite the ride!

One thing I wanted to take a moment to clarify before starting this next chapter is Dragon Ball physics. I got a review that kind of concerned me that I'm making people believe things in the story that I'm not really intending. Although I plan for this story to take the character powers of Dragon Ball and exaggerate them beyond anything the original story had intended (we're so not there yet, but give it time…) I just wanted to point out that it is my belief that the power of a transformation is not set. What I mean by that is that I believe it would be very possible for one saiyan's first level of super saiyan to be more powerful than another saiyan's fourth level transformation. This is because I see the transformations as an enhancement over the saiyan's base stats. Therefore the higher the base stats the higher the multiplier output will be for the transformation's power yield. What I'm trying to say is I'm hoping people aren't looking at this portion of the story as trying to overpower the Dragon Ball GT era because the base stats aren't as high yet. I don't know if that makes a whole lot of sense, but with any luck it might have put a few concerns into perspective so that the rest of the story may continue without contradicting the physics of the actual Dragon Ball storyline.

Okay, no more boring stuff, let's get to the fun!

* * *

Chapter 24: One Way

* * *

"Really this is not the time to be keeping secrets from us…" Gohan sounded annoyed but was doing his best to keep his emotions in check around the Supreme Kai.

Nodding the Kai replied, "I am aware, but I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, it isn't an easy thing you see…"

"Alright I can understand, but please hurry, we don't have much time," Gohan urged.

"It was many millennia ago when Bibidi first created Majin Buu, you see Buu was quite different in the beginning. Bibidi created Majin Buu to be a creature of pure evil and hate, and filled him with such monstrous power…" Gohan held his tongue but willed for the Kai to get to the point.

"He was much more powerful than any of us… There were four of us Supreme Kais at the time, and we were led by the Grand Supreme Kai Daikaioshin. When we fought Majin Buu we were horribly defeated. But Majin Buu… he didn't just kill off the Kais… He…" The Supreme Kai stopped for a moment, his eyes wide as he fought off his emotions, "He absorbed the Kais into his being. He gained their powers, abilities, knowledge…"

A loud explosion rang through the area as Buu released the energy he'd built up at Goku and the others. Shin nodded trying to hurry, "He was becoming unstoppable, and that was when our leader, Daikaioshin, he put himself in the path of Buu to become absorbed himself. Daikaioshin had an innocence about him, he was far from aggressive and very non violent. Once he was absorbed into Buu, Buu noticeably calmed and became less willing to follow Bibidi's instructions. He did for a point until he grew bored. That was when he finally struck back at the wizard and delivered the blow that would end Bibidi's life. Not before Bibidi thankfully sealed the creature away."

Gohan tapped his forehead, "So Buu absorbed the Grand Supreme Kai, mellowed some, and then fought back against Bibidi… That's still not helping me much…"

"Gohan…" The Supreme Kai took another breath, "Daikaioshin, he wasn't exactly a strong fighter, but he had the ability to turn the attacks of others back upon them. The stronger a blow that was dealt to him, the stronger the blow he could then deal back. It was how he kept superiority over the universe."

"That explains a lot then…" Gohan tried piecing together this information with what he had seen earlier, "Wait… So if the ability that is allowing Buu to keep increasing his strength is coming from a being he absorbed…" Thinking back to the last time they fought, he recalled Goku and Vegeta fighting two different Buus. The larger one had been incredibly challenging, but the smaller one had been taken down quickly by just Goku and Vegeta, "He split into two different Buus and then reabsorbed himself…"

"What was that Gohan?" The Kai blinked trying to understand what Gohan was speaking of.

"The powers of the Grand Supreme Kai, they reside inside the naïve fat buu, if we could split the two Buus again we could destroy the evil side without Daikaioshin's power interfering!" Gohan slammed his fist down into his open palm as he tried to formulate a plan.

Kibito looked over at the Dark Buu and grimaced, "But how can we manage to separate the different parts of Buu?"

"It's possible…" The Supreme Kai whispered.

Gohan and Kibito blinked wide eyed hoping they had heard what they thought they had heard, "What is it Supreme Kai sir?"

The Kai shook his head, "My way would be nearly impossible though… I would need to be close enough to Majin Buu to affect his very essence. If I could specifically find the life force of Daikaioshin inside of Buu I could use my power to pull the two apart." Another explosion echoed across the area as the fight against Buu continued only a short distance away, "But there's no way Buu would hold still long enough to allow me to do such a thing from the outside…"

"On the outside huh?" Phips waddled up to the three of them with his hands behind his back.

"What are you thinking Phips?" Gohan asked with a worried edge to his voice.

Phips snickered slightly, "What if I could just maybe possibly put you on the inside? That way you could do what you needed to do directly, hmm?"

Shin rubbed his chin as he thought about it, "It could work, it would definitely allow me to come into physical contact with Daikaioshin's life force and make the process of breaking them apart much simpler! Can you do such a thing Phips?"

Phips opened up a rift below Kibito's feet and allowed the large guard to fall in. He opened the exit to the rift just above his upturned palm and Kibito fell out standing only an inch tall, "It's a simple rifting trick!"

Kibito looked up at Phips angrily, "Restore me this instant!" He shouted with a squeaky voice.

The Supreme Kai stifled a laugh as Kibito was rifted from Phips' hand and back to his normal size landing on his rump with a rough thump.

"Easy as that!" Phips exclaimed looking pleased with himself, despite Kibito's angry glare.

"It's something…" Gohan still looked pensive about the idea.

"There isn't time Gohan!" The Supreme looked adamant, "I too know the risk, but I'm willing to take it if it means the lot of you will be able to destroy Majin Buu once and for all!"

Gohan gave in with a nod, "Alright, I'll be the one going with you I guess. Are you ready Phips?"

"A heave and a ho, and toodles!" Phips waved his hand in front of both Gohan and the Supreme Kai and pulled them into his rift.

"What now?" Kibito asked sternly.

"In order to properly project their exit trajectory I'm going to need to be pretty close to Majin Buu, that's where you come in," Phips informed as he started walking in that direction.

Kibito's expressions quickly dawned much concern, "What?"

Phips continued trotting forth, "It's simple, I just need you to get us close enough to Buu that I can open the rift inside of him without all of us being blasted away into kingdom come, ready?"

Kibito gulped down another pane of nervousness as he stepped up behind Phips, "I am to…"

"Pick me up, fly us over there quickly, and fly us back quickly, that's all you have to do," Phips reassured the guard while keeping his hands cupped tightly.

Bending down slightly, Kibito grabbed Phips by the waist and lifted him from the ground. Looking up towards the battle field he noticed Dark Buu fighting the saiyans and Piccolo at a pace he could barely keep up with. Sweat built up on his brow as he realized he had to safely charge through at close range without Buu engaging them.

Gritting his teeth, Kibito powered up, "We go!" Barreling toward Buu as fast as he could, Kibito held Phips in front of him.

Phips held out his hands ready to throw the rift when Dark Buu turned and glared right at them. Both Kibito and Phips donned a wide eyed terrified expression as Buu prepared to intercept them. With barely enough time to react, Kibito changed direction, flying upward to avoid an energy blast Buu threw at them. The pair landed a fair distance away, out of breath from fright.

"Should we try again?" Kibito asked as he recovered.

"No need…" Phips grumbled.

Concerned with the tone of Phips's response Kibito asked, "What do you mean?"

With a slight shrug Phips simply said, "I dropped them."

"YOU WHAT?" Kibito blew up at the insinuation that the Supreme Kai was simply dropped.

"Well I did manage to drop the rift as we passed over Buu… so with any luck it will have opened inside Buu and not in the middle of solid rock," Phips nodded and trotted away in the opposite direction of the battle.

Kibito took a moment to gaze toward the battlefield longingly before taking cover as well.

Being held inside a rift was the equivalent of floating in empty space. No true direction existed, and no light was visible anywhere. The rift opened and deposited Gohan and the Supreme Kai roughly onto a mushy ground.

"Good heavens…" Shin slowly pushed himself to his feet as he got over the shock of the harsh traversal.

Gohan also quickly flipped himself to a standing position, "I'm sorry about that Supreme Kai, rifting travel is usually a lot smoother than that. Phips must have had to move too quickly to concentrate properly."

"I see…" Shin took a look around at their gummy surroundings, "Nevertheless, I'd say we hit our mark, this appears to be the insides of Majin Buu."

"The big question then would be… where in Buu are we?" Gohan scratched his head and saw what appeared to be a series of tunnels in the surrounding substance.

Gohan's question was answered as the tunnels around them began to flex and quake. The opening they found themselves in constricted momentarily before a strong gust of air blew by the two of them. Both Gohan and the Supreme Kai pinched their noses and started coughing.

"Darn it Phips…" Gohan wiped the tears from his eyes as tried to keep himself from laughing as well as crying from the smell which stung his eyes.

Shin shook his head not finding the situation at all funny, "We must hurry in an upward direction immediately!"

"Right," Gohan pulled himself together and started leading the way forward. "You know since I died, I've been to some strange places… but never once did I even imagine I'd end up in a monster's ass!" Gohan couldn't help himself from commenting and laughing again at his own joke before continuing forth.

Although the light hearted way Gohan approached the situation lifted Shin's spirits, he still did his best to mask the humor he felt.

After a few minutes of walking, the two entered a large cavernous space, "I've read books on anatomy, and I can tell you this doesn't look anything like how the human body is supposed to be laid out…"

"Majin Buu is the incarnation of evil and hate; of course his structure is completely different from a normal living creature…" The Supreme Kai spoke with such spite every time the subject was on the gummy being.

Seeing a hole in the ceiling of the cavern, Gohan floated up toward it, "I'm just trying to understand the connection still I suppose…"

A look of confusion crossed the Supreme Kai's face, "Connection with what?"

Shaking his head Gohan replied, "Maybe it's just that no one really knows much about Ru… But we do know that Majin Buu was created by an act of immense evil magic. Created for the sole sake of bringing destruction to the entire universe… I mean… it all sounds kind of epic doesn't it?"

"I suppose so…" Shin thought about it for a moment, "But what does that have to do with Ru?"

"Exactly what I was thinking… From what I've heard Ru just wanders through infinity without any real purpose… Maybe I'm just thinking too much about it…" Gohan crossed his arms and grimaced as they levitated up the channels within Buu's body.

"I believe the way you think about things is one of your strongest assets Gohan," Shin smiled reassuringly to the boy, "I see very well why the Sovereign Kai wanted you as one of his warriors."

Gohan smiled confidently back to the Kai, "Thanks!"

As two reached the top of the shaft a strong pulse of deep bass vibrations pinned them to the wall momentarily and ceased. Shin rolled back onto his feet, "What was that?"

Another strong pulse reached them with much the same effect. Gohan stood his ground against the pulse, but the Supreme Kai was knocked back a second time. Every few seconds the pulse would echo through tissue in front of them and drastically increase the pressure of the chamber. It lasted for only a second before the pressure was released.

Shielding his face, Gohan started pushing forward to the source of their impediment. The wall of gummy tissue separating their chamber from the next was thin convincing Gohan the best action would be to tear through it to get to whatever was on the other side. With a swift slice from his outstretched hand a clean cut was torn through the mush.

Both Gohan and the Supreme Kai looked in awe for a moment at the organ before them steadily contracting and expanding with immense force.

"That is…" Shin watched its movements unblinking.

"His heart…" Gohan finished as he took a few steps closer.

The look on the Supreme Kai's face changed quickly to disgust, "I should have known it'd be black…"

As the muscle contracted, a light from under the layers of tissue would shine through until it expanded again, "Do you feel that?" Gohan held a hand out and approached the light.

The Supreme Kai nodded, "That is the horrible energy of the original Majin Buu… His dark desires and abilities still lay locked away here…"

"But…" As Gohan placed a hand on the tissue holes opened in the goopy substance which made up their ground and steam began filling up the chamber. From within the steam formed several small malformed versions of Buu which looked almost like amoeba.

"I believe this could very well be Buu's immune system kicking in…" One of the Amoeba Buus charged up an energy ball and threw it at the Supreme Kai.

Gohan quickly pulled the Kai out of the way, "And apparently we're the bacteria it wants to flush out!" Powering up quickly, Gohan flew upward again looking for another shaft to escape the heart cavern.

A newly formed Amoeba Buu dropped from above and landed on Gohan's face. It latched on tight wrapping its transparent gooey body around Gohan's entire head. Gohan stopped immediately and tried to pry the creature off. Shin noticed Gohan's face turning blue looking as if he were suffocating.

Gathering some energy in his hand, Shin ran over to Gohan and poked the creature dealing enough of a jolt for the Amoeba Buu to jump off of Gohan and scurry away, "Are you alright Gohan?"

Gohan took a deep breath now that his air passages were clear, "Much better, thanks… But umm…"

The Amoeba Buu Shin had scared off took cover in the midst of its counterparts. There were now hundreds of the amoeba creatures surrounding them. "Get ready, looks like the antibuudies about to attack…"

Shin shook his head, "Antibuudies?" Gohan and the Kai crouched down as the surrounding creatures jumped to attack. The two were ready and leapt straight up into the air, dodging the attacks.

Gohan pulled energy out into his hands quickly, "Let's try a spreadshot!" Taking to blasting at each one individually, Gohan started firing off dozens of quick blasts of energy. Each Amoeba Buu hit would dry out and crumple to the ground. The Supreme Kai tried to help by firing his own energy blasts at the ones he feared were getting too close.

Landing on the ground after frying the last of the Amoeba Buu, Gohan took a look around at the battle field. Shin landed close by, "Antibuudies?" he asked again.

"I think it works for having to call them something under short notice," Gohan scratched his nose as the two turned to continue up the insides of Buu. A sickening compilation of pops and bubbling goop noises built up from behind causing Gohan and the Kai to stop cold in their tracks, "Do you ever get that feeling that things just aren't going your way?"

"Most definitely…" Shin muttered in response.

Slowly both of them turned around and saw the Amoeba Buu combining to form a giant creature by their stature's standard.

Gohan sensed a strong power emanating from the culmination of Antibuudies, "We should probably go…"

The Creature howled in rage as it swung toward Gohan and the Kai. The hit missed but as it collided with the walls of the cavern pieces of the monster broke apart and splashed onto Gohan's coat. The goopy substance started burning through the fabric coaxing Gohan to pull the article off and discard it, "It's acidic!" Shin yelled.

"That's not good…" Gohan grabbed onto the Supreme Kai's arm and started flying away, "Need to move, now!"

Pulling the Kai through the inner duct work of Majin Buu, Gohan started picking paths almost at random to get away from Buu's white blood cells. It moved with incredible speed, matching every turn the two took across Buu's body.

"Of course it knows where we're going; it's part of Buu…" The Kai grit his teeth as he watched the creature gain on them.

Gohan rolled over and fired an energy blast back at the creature to slow it down. The shot tore a hole through the monster leaving a trail of steam but didn't affect its speed. As Gohan turned back around he noticed the path in front of them closing off as some kind of sphincter sealed shut.

"I think we're coming up to Buu's esophagus…" Gohan grunted as he tossed the Kai in the direction of closing and turned to face the approaching monster.

"What are you doing Gohan?" The Kai yelled as he stabilized his movement.

"We're going to need some pressure to pop that open!" Gohan held his hands to his side as he channeled his energy down, "KAMEHAMEHAA!" The beam Gohan fired at the Amoeba Buu creature was large enough to engulf its entire body. As the energy ripped through, huge amounts of steam were secreted from the burning cells. Shin felt the pressure building at the top waiting to be released. Gohan pushed the beam a little while longer until the entire shaft began to shake.

The blockage finally opened and the increased pressure shot through the roof, blowing both the Supreme Kai and Gohan up Buu's body. Gohan saw the top coming and grabbed onto the Kai's arm as he unsheathed the Realis. As they hit the ceiling, Gohan stabbed the Realis upward, digging into the roof of Buu's mouth before they could be blown out by the mighty belch.

On the outside, Goku and Vegeta were holding Buu down, trying to keep him from causing anymore damage when Buu opened his mouth and burped in Goku's face, "Ewww!" Goku let go of Buu to wipe the moistness from him which Buu used as an opportunity to grab Vegeta by the hair and toss him at Goku.

The two tumbled away as Buu jumped into the air and started gathering a huge amount of power into an energy ball. He aimed it down at the planet and threw it. Piccolo dashed in to intercept, landing on the ground directly in front of the incoming attack. With his arm pulled back and his muscles taught, Piccolo grunted as he powered up waiting for the blast to hit. When it was in range he lashed out at the ball and knocked it up into the sky. The energy ball flew far into the upper atmosphere before exploding sending a huge shockwave across the earth.

The airship Hercule and Videl Satan rode in shook from the vibration as they approached, "Look dad, that has to be Majin Buu over there!" Videl stated with a determined expression plastered on her face.

Mister Satan sank into the corner of the ship suddenly not feeling well to his stomach as he watched more explosions going off across the battle field.

"This is as close as I can safely take the ship sir," The pilot informed Mister Satan.

Perking up quickly Mister Satan responded, "Oh right! Don't worry about getting any closer than this, in fact you can back off a little, we wouldn't want any other innocent bystanders like yourself getting hurt in this mess. Land as far back as you would like and we can make the rest of the trip there on foot no problem, no siree…"

The pilot smiled to the pair, "Thank you sir, you really are the caring type; I'll do my best then still to get you as close as I can so you'll be ready for battle!" Pushing down on the stick, the airship made a sharp nosedive for the surface.

"Why me…?" Mister Satan grumbled as he held on tight to a support rail as the ship descended through the air.

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End Chapter

I think that came out rather entertaining. I was having fun writing it so I hope others out there have fun reading it! Please drop me a review and let me know what you're thinking so far.


	26. Shattered Windows

FF dot net has its moments doesn't it? When I posted this chapter on Friday morning, for some reason the formatting deleted all of my quotation marks and apostrophes making the chapter really confusing to read. Also all the email notifications seemed to be down for some reason…

I suppose it should have been a sign to hold off on posting the chapter because in all honesty I was kind of stressed out while writing it. The jobs I've been having to take with the economy the way it is right now have been dull with little pay… Hopefully that will clear up soon though. So this chapter has been reworked a little to hopefully make it a bit more exciting than the first time it was posted. Not to mention we should have all our punctuation back… Thanks for the continued support everyone!

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Chapter 25: Shattered Windows

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From the top of Kami's lookout, Dende and Yamcha continued to sense the battle down on the surface intently. "Why aren't they fighting? It's like Goku and the others are holding back… They should be kicking Buu's butt right now!" Yamcha growled in frustration as he sensed everyone's energy hardly moving.

Dende eyed the man carefully, "It's because of the technique Buu is using. Many eons ago, Majin Buu absorbed the Grand Supreme Kai of this dimension and with him gained his ability to turn any power focused onto him against his enemies. So you see if Goku were to strike, Majin Buu would only return the force of the blow in kind."

Yamcha blinked a few times and crossed his arms, "Man that is one bad ability for a monster like that to have."

Nodding Dende continued, "Right, but that's why Gohan and the Supreme Kai disappeared. They're trying to find a way to separate Buu from the powers he absorbed from the inside. If they're successful then all of them will be able to unleash their full power to destroy Majin Buu once and for all."

"They can do it! I know they can!" Yamcha squinted at the clouds below as he felt a power approaching, "Hey look, Krillin's back! And he found Tien and Chiaotzu!"

Krillin flew over the top of the lookout landing with Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu right behind him, "Hey guys, how's the fight going?"

Yamcha shook his head, "They're at a standoff right now, but hopefully that will change once Gohan and the Supreme Kai accomplish whatever they set out to do."

Tien walked over to the side of the lookout to sense the battle below with Dende, "I saw this Majin Buu destroying cities across the world for the last day. He's so powerful though, I was hoping for a more opportune moment to join the battle with Goku and the others, but Krillin found us first and said we needed to come here."

"Yes, Goku wanted everyone here… just in case…" Dende relayed never taking his eyes off the happenings below.

Chiaotzu floated over by Dende and Tien, "Just in case of what?"

Sweat built up on Dende's brow, "Just in case something unexpected happens…"

The Dark Buu stared down Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo defiantly. So far the battle had been relatively downplayed. None of them had done much attacking which in turn yielded Majin Buu less power to launch a greater offensive. The three of them together were powerful enough that his current energy reserves weren't causing significant damage.

Buu grunted in frustration. His opponents all noticed however that Buu's grunt was cut off by a dry cough and his eyes widened as he appeared to be trying to clear out his throat. The three tried to approach Buu but he lashed out immediately with a strong energy slash to keep them at bay.

Inside of Majin Buu, Gohan and the Supreme Kai were tunneling upward through the putty of Buu's internal tissue. Gohan's hand burst through the mush first into a large chamber, followed by his head as he took a look around, "Well this is interesting…" Gohan finished pulling himself out and hoisted the Kai up behind him.

"What is it Gohan?" Shin brushed himself off as the two were able to stand without being smothered once again.

"Well… isn't this where Buu's brain is supposed to be?" Gohan scratched his head as he looked around the empty room.

The Supreme Kai laughed at Gohan's insinuation, "I'm afraid Majin Buu doesn't work that way. He's a creature of evil fueled by rage. His memories and life force are governed by other means than standard definitions of intelligence. His influences should be nearby here though."

On the outside, no one was making any further moves. The standoff was becoming nerve wracking. Goku was keeping his fingers crossed that Gohan would find what he needed to negate Buu's ability to absorb their attacks and put an end to this battle.

As he focused deeper on Buu's eyes he noticed the creature's concentration shift. It was like he was staring blankly at them all of a sudden; keeping up a defensive front, but concentrating elsewhere, "What does that mean? What is he doing?"

Piccolo noticed the look also, "I'm not sure… he seems to be focusing his energies inside himself… This could mean trouble…"

The walk across Buu's mindscape was unnatural. Deeper into his head cavern were pillars of the mushy substance that made up Buu's body which all seemed to be pulsating. "It's the same dark energy flowing from his heart all the way up here. Pure spite flows through his every vain…" The Supreme Kai shook his head and continued walking.

The whole place gave off an eerie dark purple glow. Gohan noticed the ground beneath their feet beginning to pulsate also as they walked over it. It was hard to tell at first, but Gohan began to realize the pulsing sensation was Buu's energy gathering around them.

Gohan dashed up closer to the Kai, "I think he knows we're here…"

"What? How?" As Shin finished asking, the chamber around them constricted and more ooze slopped into the center in front of them. The blob took shape forming the Dark Buu they had seen outside.

Immediately Gohan took a defensive stance in front of the Kai to protect him. A deep rumbling laugh exuded from all around them rather than just the Buu facing them, "You no can protect the Kai here! Here I am everywhere! You both die for coming here!"

The entire cavern lit up brightly as Gohan transformed into his first level Super Saiyan. "Gohan…" The Supreme Kai urged, "You can't fight him yet, it will only make him stronger!"

"I know…" Gohan spoke through tensed teeth.

The figure of Dark Buu lunged forward toward the two. Gohan grabbed the Supreme Kai by the wrist and jumped to dodge out of the way. "You only think you are so fast here…" Gohan could hear the grin in Buu's voice without having to see him turn around.

"WATCH OUT!" The Supreme Kai called as hundreds of tentacle like whips extruded from the pulsating nerves and wrapped around their limbs. They each looked at the strange tentacles in shock for a moment before being violently pulled back and slammed against the wall.

Shin reeled forward as the wind was knocked out of him. Their stationary time was short lived as from the walls the tentacles quickly shoved both of them to the floor and continued to toss them about. Dark Buu's laugh echoed throughout the chamber as the tentacles tossed the two intruders to and fro.

Gohan grunted as focused his energy on bringing himself to a stop, but the strength from his binds intensified and started pulling each limb in opposite direction, stretching him out. Buu floated slowly over to the taut demi-saiyan, "Poor little boy, too stupid to know so small so no strength! Buu big! Buu crush little weak boy!" Buu pulled his fist back, the texture hardened into solid rock before ramming it into Gohan's face.

The sting started to set in after the attack as Gohan chewed on the sore inside of his cheek. "You think you're strong huh?" Gohan chuckled slightly, "I'm afraid you really have no idea what I'm capable of!" Gohan's hair spiked up wilder as his aura burst into great flames which repelled the tentacles away from his body. With his hands free, Gohan gathered energy to his hands creating a great energy ball which he threw at the Dark Buu.

The energy ball lit the entire chamber. The light reflected off of Buu's dark eyes and he only grinned as he allowed the energy to hit him.

Goku and Vegeta were each holding onto one of Buu's arms as he struggled against their grasps. His attention had been focused elsewhere for a while that he hadn't even tried to melt out of their grip. The two saiyans were startled when the side of Buu's head exploded and dark gunk flew in every direction.

The hole immediately closed up and Buu's eyes began to glow a sinister red. He pulled his arms free of the saiyans grasps and channeled new energy into his hands.

"That's just not fair…" Goku moaned before the energy exploded and washed over the area in an intense light throwing the three of them back

Gohan scooped up the Supreme Kai and continued racing through the cavern of Buu's head.

"Why did you use an attack like that Gohan? You could have done a lot more harm than good!" The Kai scolded.

"I know I know… I just needed to buy us a bit of time…" A look of worry crossed Gohan's face as he felt Buu use a great amount of energy externally. "We should almost be there…"

"GOHAN STOP!" Screeching to a stop on command, Gohan had almost missed a particular pillar that was significantly larger than the others. It was thick, pulsating more slowly, and there appeared to be opening on the side of it.

Gohan and the Supreme Kai entered the brightly lit nerve and gazed up at the sight before them.

"No… No it… I should have known… we're far too late…" The Supreme Kai whimpered as he fell to his knees

"I don't understand…" Gohan continued to look at the suspended form of the fat Majin Buu hanging inside a fleshy pod above them.

Shin shook his head, "The life force of Daikaioshin… it's been completely absorbed into that… There is no separating them now. They are completely one in the same being."

Gohan floated up to the pudgy captive. He looked deep into the face of Buu for a moment, "It might work…" Gohan smiled sensing a kind of innocence from this Majin Buu, "Supreme Kai sir, we can still do it!"

Perking up, the Supreme Kai floated up by Gohan, "You can sense Daikaioshin's life force?"

Shaking his head Gohan replied, "No, but like you said he and this Buu are one now. Everything Daikaioshin was is right here, and he is still separate from the rest of Buu. So if you can split Majin Buu back into two separate entities…"

Shaking off his desire for the perfect outcome, Shin nodded, "You're right, we can do this. I'll need just a moment then to separate this entity from the rest of Buu's evil influence."

"Do you need me to help you with anything?" Gohan offered.

The Supreme Kai shook his head, "I just need to summon up the right energies without being disturbed…" His hands began to glow as he placed them on the cocoon like pod encasing the larger Buu.

"NOOO! YOU LEAVE BUU ALONE!" An angry roar came from outside the nerve.

The furious demand made Gohan cringe, "Well, I guess I know what I have to do then…" Gohan's ki flared around him as he powered up and flew out from the nerve to stall Buu's approach.

"I must hurry… I can only pray that once separated that this Buu doesn't decide to consider us his targets as well…" His hands began to glow brighter as he continued working.

Gohan landed at the entrance of the nerve pillar in time to see the ground in front of him folding over itself. The entire room seemed to become liquid and a wave from under the surface of the goop began its rapid approach toward him. The wave was only feet away when Gohan reacted and placed a barrier shield in front of him which extended into the ground and above the ceiling of the room. The wave crashed into it with a sickening splat sending blobs of goop in every direction.

Dark Buu immediately formed from the ooze and started bashing on Gohan's shield, "You stop! You stop now! Taking Buu away from Buu make Buu not Buu anymore! Stop!" Buu kept yelling as he pounded on Gohan's shield again and again. The ferocity of his blows started pushing Gohan back.

"He's really giving it everything he's got…" Gohan grunted under the pressure but kept the shield in place.

"RAH!" Buu stretched his arm reaching down into the ground below his feet. His arm travelled all the way under Gohan's shield, turned upward again and broke through the surface at Gohan's feet. Grabbing Gohan by the ankle, Buu dragged Gohan under the surface of the gummy flesh, down and up the same path. Buu ripped Gohan back out from the ground and held him upside down in front of his face. He let out a loud screeching scream with Gohan only inches in front of his mouth which formed an energy wave in Gohan's face.

Majin Buu tossed Gohan aside, expecting to have won himself a few moments reprieve from the boy and was concentrating on the nerve when Gohan flipped in the air. Gohan's foot dug into the ground beneath him as he pushed himself off and struck Buu in the face. Buu's entire body elongated from the force of the blow and a look of pure rage crossed his features as he molded back to his proper shape, "ANNOYING BOY DIE!" Using the same trick as before, Buu hardened his fists and smashed them into Gohan's stomach. Without reprieving, Buu used the energy to strike Gohan as hard as he could. Punches landed to Gohan's stomach, face, chest, repeatedly over and over. Gohan flopped with each blow taking each hit without fighting back. Buu reached forward and grasped Gohan by the hair picking him up off the ground. "Now stop moving forever!"

Gohan almost looked unconscious being held up by his scalp in Buu's grasp until his eyes snapped open and his hands immediately clasped at his side, "KAMEHAMEHA!" Gohan launched the blast which tore through Buu's body, disintegrating the internal personification Buu completely.

With a flip Gohan landed on his feet in front of the entrance. "Supreme Kai… please hurry… he's going to come back from that any minute and…"

The ground in front of Gohan molded upward into the shape of Dark Buu's head from the neck up. Gohan looked up at the behemoth with his hands clenched, unsure of what the monster was about to unleash on him.

While the enormous head had Gohan's attention, the ground beneath his feet molded into a giant hand which closed tight the moment it formed, "Hey!" Gohan struggled against the firm grip which only tightened.

"No more games! Now Buu crush stupid little boy!" Buu squeezed harder around Gohan's body. Gohan started yelling as the fist clenched him tightly. "Little bones break with little snaps! Little guts go splat and little mess you make!" Gohan yelled louder as Buu focused his energy into squeezing him tighter.

The Supreme Kai heard the screams coming in through the opening, "I'm sorry Gohan… I'm almost there… just a little more…" Shin's hand left a glowing trail down the front of the cocoon as he continued to pinpoint and isolate the energies within it.

Majin Buu sensed the happenings inside the nerve and began to panic, "No! Must stop purple man!"

Gohan stopped yelling and grinned as his power spiked. He stretched his arms out, his hands dug into the fingers constricting him as he stared Buu down confidently, "Afraid you can't go after him yet."

Buu looked shocked at Gohan as the boy held back his grip, "But little boy was crushed, how are you fighting back?"

"I just needed you to focus on beating me up long enough for the Supreme Kai to work his magic, and now…" As Gohan pushed the fingers further back they heard a snap come from inside the nerve.

"Eureka!" The Supreme Kai shouted as the pod opened up and released the fat Buu from within it who landed on the floor of the nerve with a plop.

"NOOO!" The personification Buu began to glow and exploded out from sight.

The whole interior of Buu began to quake as Gohan ran inside toward the Kai, "Now we've done it."

"Indeed," Shin floated into the air to keep his balance. He saw Gohan lifting the fat Buu from the ground, "What are you doing Gohan, we have to hurry and escape!"

"Yeah, but we can't just leave him here!" Gohan pulled one of Buu's arms over his shoulder and floated them up toward the Kai. Sparks of energy began to escape from all the walls as the entire cavernous space looked as if it were contracting. Gohan put his free hand on Shin's shoulder as he tried to concentrate on Phips location, "There's so much energy flowing through here now, I'm having a hard time sensing what's happening outside."

"Use my clairvoyance Gohan," The Supreme Kai channeled his senses through the contact he had with Gohan allowing him to sense the outside world more clearly.

"That's better thanks! Yup I Found him!" In an instant the three of them vanished from inside Buu's body.

Dark Buu was screaming loudly. Steam was blowing from every pour on his body. He held onto his head looking as if he were in great pain.

"This is it, Gohan's done it!" Goku cheered as he waited for the right moment to strike.

Phips watched intently while hiding near Kibito. Kibito looked down at the imp after hearing a loud slap noise, "Is everything alright Phips?"

"Yeah just an annoying mosquito, I think I got it though…" Phips flicked the spec off his cheek and turned back to watching the transformation intently.

"I'm not sensing the life force of Gohan or the Kai coming from inside Majin Buu anymore…" Kibito frowned trying to pinpoint his master.

"You're right, they might have abandoned ship already… but that means they could be anywhere…" Phips got quiet as he tried to sense their location also, "We need to be careful they're so small right now it'd be really easy to hurt them. Try not to move either; it'd be bad if one of us were to accidently squash them… like… a… bug…" Phips blinked a few times as he thought about the mosquito he just swatted, "Oh bother…"

"What is it?" Kibito sounded concerned but was doing his best to follow Phips instructions and hold his pose like a statue.

Phips followed the trajectory of the flick from his cheek, got down on his hands and knees and looked very closely at the ground, "Oh dear…" Phips cleared his throat before standing back up, "Are you good at keeping secrets?"

"What are you talking about?" Kibito asked with his voice stern once again.

"Oh never mind, and here I was thinking we were making some real progress over the last few minutes…" Phips waved his hand opened a rift which Gohan and the Kai dropped out of returned to their normal size once again.

The two immediately collapsed to the ground, "Ow…" They both moaned in unison.

"Sorry about that guys…" Phips chuckled apologetically before helping them back to their feet.

"Sure you are…" Gohan groaned as he looked over his surroundings, "Hey where's Majin Buu?"

"He is standing over there undergoing some other transformation," Kibito pointed out.

"No, I mean that Big Buu that we pulled out from inside of that Buu," Gohan noticed only he and the Kai had been rifted back to their normal size.

Phips tried sensing around some more, but couldn't feel anything new, "Oh… Sorry Gohan I didn't notice anyone else with you two… I'm not sure where he might have gotten brushed off too… And he's so small right now he could have bounced off anywhere."

The scream emanating from the Dark Buu became higher pitched and his body began to shrink. His complexion became pink once again as his energy solidified.

"That's him…" The Supreme Kai stuttered, "That is the original form of Majin Buu…"

"That?" Gohan looked confused at the small body, "He looks like a little kid…"

"Don't let his appearance fool you… he is the most fiendish and vile creature in the universe…" Shin lowered his stance looking ready to fight if need be.

"And his powers have been restored to his original level; can you believe the monstrosity behind this creature?" Kibito gasped as he watched the transformation complete.

"I'll go help out my dad and the others. You guys try and stay safe. Phips, try and find the other Buu." Gohan started walking toward the battlefield again, "The last thing we need is two of them running wild right now."

Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo all stared with similar looks of confusion on their faces. The new form assumed by Majin Buu took them by surprise, "Is that it? Can we destroy it now?" Vegeta asked.

"That's it," Gohan landed between them all, "That's Buu's original form without the powers of the Grand Supreme Kai, we can definitely beat him now."

Majin Buu made an unintelligible howl and started beating on his chest.

"I'll be glad once this is over…" Vegeta grinned as he began powering up. The others quickly followed his lead kicking up a great torrent of wind through the valley. Buu jumped and made a mid air flip before landing in a pose looking ready to strike. Gohan and the others charged forward toward the small creature with all of their power still nearly at full.

The sound of cracking caught Gohan's attention as they approached Buu. Looking up to the sky, Gohan noticed a crack forming across the wide blue expanse coming down toward them.

All four warriors halted their approach as the very air in front of them cracked open from the sky and shards of wind fell like glass. A strong repulsing wind flowed from within the break pushing everyone away from the core of the opening.

"It can't be… not now…" Gohan lowered his stance in preparation as the air completely shattered revealing the nexus to the Dead Zone.

"Oh, don't be so surprised!" Ru stepped from the portal and simply hopped down as the gateway as it phased out of existence, "Did you actually think a silly trick like that could contain me?"

Growling slightly, Gohan spat out, "It was worth a try."

Ru shook his head, "You Sovereigns are so full of yourselves it truly his hilarious! Did you truly not realize that I have free dominion over interdimensional travel?" Ru chuckled darkly as he stepped closer to the Z Fighters, "Your world's little "Dead Zone" offers a nice window to the normal realm. From which I was able to time everything out just so perfectly. You see I'm actually indebted to you now, you've earned my thanks!"

Everyone's eyes widened, "What are you talking about Ru?" Gohan demanded.

"Well you see, by giving you lot a little bit of time, you've taken care of all the hard work for me," Ru held out a hand toward the kid like Majin Buu, encasing the creature in a ball of energy, "You've actually managed to purify Majin Buu… which is all I needed to become a Harmony at last!"

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End Chapter

He's back… OK that didn't go too bad. Thanks a lot for reading and I'd love to hear your comments on the story!

A lot more action lies ahead so tune in next week for more!


	27. New Order

And we're back! Sorry that took so long for me to get settled in. If you've been reading my profile then you're probably aware that I just moved and have been stressed trying to get all the bills figured out as well as where to put all my stuff… My new apartment is about a third the size of the house I was living in, so big change…

Anyway, I'm trying to get everything back on track so we can get the regular updates coming again. Hope everyone's ready because this is where the story starts getting exciting!

* * *

Chapter 26: New Order

* * *

Majin Buu yelled as his body began to contort under the manipulation of Ru's energy sphere.

"The time has come…" Ru walked towards Buu, the expression on his face mocked insanity with his eyes wide and grin large, "This has always been meant to be…"

The ground shook as the Realis sank into the soil between Ru and Majin Buu. The shimmer of the blade deflected Ru's energy scattering it across the sky instead. Buu was released from the hold and looked confused at his attacker.

Gohan fell from the sky landing on the hilt of the Realis and quickly pulled it from the ground as he flipped across it, "There's no way you're going to do that with me here!" Gohan challenged.

Ru smirked, "You seem to forget, you were hardly a match for me before. I would have defeated you for good if it wasn't for the trickery of your friends assisting you. And don't be fooled into thinking I would fall for something so childish again."

"You're the one who doesn't know…" The wind picked up and began swirling around Gohan's body. The movement of the air intensified as Gohan's hair changed from black to silver and a tail sprouted from his back.

"Going all out from the start?" Ru mocked, "This will be an even shorter battle than our last one."

Gohan and Ru leapt at each other faster than any of the spectators could witness. Immediately Ru was knocked from super speed by a fierce blow to the jaw. Ru's eyes widened as he crashed through miles of rock before grinding himself to a halt.

As Ru pushed himself up he noticed a line of energy forming a circle around him. The circle completed and the inside filled with massive energy which exploded upward launching him into the sky. Ru shielded himself from most of the debris when Gohan dove at him from three angles at once delivering a punch to the stomach, knee in the back, and kick to the side of the head. Ru's body contorted under the compressing forces and he fazed to energy to restore himself. Gohan floated a short distance away awaiting Ru's next move.

Ru felt his jaw taking note of the sting still present even after restoring his body. He looked over the boy curiously for a moment before attacking. Somehow Gohan was fighting him at a level higher than their last battle.

Powering up to his maximum, Ru's muscle mass increased and the scales covering his body visibly hardened. Bursting through the air at super speed, Ru smashed his fist against Gohan's stomach, "Don't get too full of yourself now." The two exchanged rapid blows for a split second going off on each other like machine gun fire.

"Pride has nothing to do with this," Gohan powered up further as well, "For the sake of everyone and everything, I will stop you!" Gohan launched with his fist forward toward Ru.

Ru caught Gohan's swinging fist and gripped it tight, "You're something else… Fighting you is a rush unlike anything any other Sovereign has ever provided me. It's a shame you're so determined to serve that stuck up Kai. If you were to instead join forces with someone like me… any desire you might have in infinity could be granted!"

"That kind of thinking doesn't get you anywhere," Gohan pushed harder against Ru, "And I've dealt with people like before. People who think they can get their way by bullying it out of those weaker than themselves."

"Oh yes, that reminds me…" Ru pulled his fist back, tightening his muscles, "Garlic Junior says HI!" Ru emphasized the message by plowing his fist through Gohan's jaw.

Steam escaped the crags in the ground as Kid Buu started beating on his chest while making high pitched grunts. Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo readied themselves as they felt Buu's dark energy well open wide.

"How many times do we have to do this?" Goku grumbled.

"We make this the last time!" Piccolo spat hoarsely as he powered up.

Vegeta scowled at the smaller pink creature, "The time for bleating has past; we must end this now!" Wasting no more time, Vegeta launched himself at the creature, energy already gathering in his hands.

Majin Buu snickered as Vegeta used super speed to disappear from sight. Vegeta appeared in front of Buu with his arms outstretched ready to fire his Final Flash attack at point blank range. The instant Vegeta's attack went off Buu opened a hole in his torso spreading his body around the blast. Vegeta was too invested in the attack to end it quickly enough before Buu ensnared him in his gummy state.

Piccolo and Goku rushed to Vegeta's side as a glow overcame them both and Vegeta began to scream. Goku punched forward using his ki as an air bumper to create a shockwave powerful enough to knock Buu back without hurting Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince fell to the ground breathing heavily as he looked over to the still grinning Buu.

"What did he do…?" Vegeta cursed under his breath as he pushed himself up.

Goku saw Vegeta stagger on his feet, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" He shouted immediately.

"HEEHEE!" Buu screeched loudly as he extended his arms to his sides and pink energy began to gather in each hand.

"Oh yeah… I forgot about that…" Goku gulped as Buu connected his hands in front of him.

"FINUR FRAH!" The Z Warriors watched in near slow motion as the energy escaped Buu's palms and swept over them, carrying them all away in the incredible current.

Buu almost fell over laughing at how he washed his enemies away. He was caught off guard when a green hand burst through the ground, grabbed onto his ankle, and started dragging him back down under the ground and through a mile of solid rock.

Piccolo plucked the child like creature from the ground and while still holding him upside down opened his mouth wide and fired a large blast from his throat. The blast incinerated Buu's upper torso leaving just the legs still dangling in Piccolo's grasp.

The legs snapped back to attention and kicked away from Piccolo as a new upper body popped out of Buu's lower half. The creature gathered energy quickly above his head into a gigantic energy ball, but instead of throwing it the ball broke into thousands of smaller energy beams all targeted onto the Z Fighters.

Ru crashed down from the sky, his elbow pointed down at Gohan's head. Ru's expression sank as he fell through an after image and the real Gohan appeared with both knees implanted in his chest driving him down to the ground hard. The two made contact with the earth forming a gigantic crater. Ru coughed up blood as his chest cavity was caved in.

Gohan jumped from the crater as Ru reformed himself again. The ground trembled as Ru shot upward. The black sclera of his eyes were traced in red as his vanes pulsed in anger, "This is impossible! How… how did you get stronger?"

Seeing Ru flustered only increased Gohan's confidence as a grin crossed his face and he disappeared in pursuit of his enemy. Ru lunged forward with his fist as he detected Gohan's approach. Stepping out of super speed, Gohan grabbed Ru's arm and pulled it toward him while extending his elbow out between them. The result was the combination of their momentums meeting with Gohan's elbow and Ru's cheekbone.

With Ru's arm still in his grasp, Gohan took a few more punches at Ru's face before spinning Ru around and bringing his elbow down over Ru's arm, bending it in the wrong direction with a splintering snap. Ru's scream echoed across the sky as he cradled his broken arm.

Gohan crossed his arms and stared Ru down, "There's no need for this to continue. Admit that you were wrong and give up."

Ru spat a wad of blood from his mouth as he continued to cradle his arm, "What? So you can take me to your precious Kai and have him lock me away for eternity?"

"Just to do whatever it takes to keep you from ever hurting anyone again," Gohan's look was unwavering.

"You think you're so righteous don't you?" Ru's look darkened further for a moment until he released his breath and began to calm, "I used to think like you… Who knows… maybe someday you'll see that all this is meaningless."

Gohan shook his head, "I don't care, we're here now and I'm stopping you. So do you give up or do I have to keep beating you?"

"Just humor me this…" Ru took several more deep breaths, "Two days ago we were decently matched, I know for a fact I was slightly stronger than you… How did you change so fast?"

A smirk crossed Gohan's face, "You did it."

"What?" Ru asked confused.

"Ever hear the saying that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?" Gohan floated closer, "I'm a saiyan, and all saiyans become much stronger after recovering from a mortal wound. You wounded me bad enough that I could have died again if it weren't for my friends. But they helped me, and that makes me much stronger than before."

"So basically what you're telling me is this time I need to be sure you die…" Gohan was taken aback by Ru's attempt at a surprise attack. Ru's energy healed his arm as he used the same energy to blast Gohan at close range.

Gohan caught the energy beam in his own hands taking control of the attack and threw it back at Ru who jumped out of the way.

"I have a much bigger destiny in store for me than sitting in some cell with your Kai watching for the rest of eternity!" Ru started gathering a different type of energy in his hands culminating in several cloudy spheres and threw them at Gohan.

Gohan saw the attacks coming and dodged out of the way of several and swatted several others. "I'm through with these games Ru!" Gohan teleported out of the range of the incoming attacks and appeared in front of Ru with his palm opened in front of Ru's face. Energy erupted from Gohan's hand tearing through Ru and carrying him off.

Ru's body converted to energy and swirled off of Gohan's beam before restoring his body once again, "No games Sovereign, my destiny is at stake here!" Ru formed another cloudy orb in his hand, but this time pumped greater energy into it, expanding its size before throwing it again at Gohan.

Gohan scowled at the approaching energy and simply kicked it up and out of the way, "Fate is all about the choices we make, and your choices will only lead you down a path of defeat!"

An explosion on the ground went off as Buu was knocked back by a strong blast from Goku. Before Buu could get any footing, Vegeta flew in from behind and kicked Buu across the head sending him spinning into Piccolo who punched him hard to the ground.

Kid Buu grunted as he pushed himself up again. His energy was running low, and his enemies could sense it. The three of them appeared at once surrounding him in a triangular formation. Buu growled ferociously baring his fangs at all of them.

Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo extended their hands forward. Energy radiated from their open palms and surrounded Buu. He felt a pressure building up from all sides as he was being squashed in the center between them all. Buu began kicking and screaming, frantically struggling against the Z Fighter's powers.

The energy surrounding Buu began to manifest into a sphere around Buu's body completely encasing the creature. Goku nodded to the others as they raised their power and began doubling the energy sphere over shrinking its containment in size. Majin Buu was pounding on the walls of his prison which soon shrunk to the point it became too small to swing his arms around.

Buu shouted in pain as he was crushed and compressed inside the shrinking ball.

"We have him contained, finally," Piccolo grunted as he continued to push on the sphere.

"Now how do we go about destroying him?" Vegeta stared into the sphere thinking of the best ways to disintegrate the evil creature.

"Wait, can we really do that?" Goku started to feel for the creature shouting in pain inside their hold, "I mean he's only doing what he was created to do, it's not really his fault."

"I don't believe this…" Vegeta shook his head, "Kakarot! For the sake of the universe he must be destroyed!"

Goku looked down as the emotional conflict within himself waged war.

"Goku!" Piccolo shouted simply hoping to snap the man out of his sentimental stupor.

Gohan slammed his fist again into Ru's jaw. Several more blows followed in rapid succession. The two flashed across the sky, their auras burning with power as Gohan charged against Ru, driving him back with multiple fierce blows landing across Ru's body. A strong kick to the chin sent Ru reeling backward.

Ru flipped in the air and threw several more orbs at Gohan, "I won't stand for this… die… die! DIE!" Ru continued to throw the cloudy orbs at Gohan who still dodged each one.

"It's no use… Your energy is falling lower and lower. This battle is over, give up." Ru grit his teeth at Gohan's statement. He looked down for a moment and gasped as he saw the other three ready to finish off Majin Buu. Gohan followed his gaze and saw the others as well. With a smile he turned back to Ru, "It's really over now. Without Buu all of your plans are dashed."

"Not over… not yet…" Ru looked back up at Gohan, his eyes shadowed over.

Gohan lowered his stance ready for Ru to hit him with anything, "You've lost…"

"It's not that simple Sovereign… A storm is coming… a storm strong enough blow even you away in its torrent… Or perhaps it would be better put to pull the wind right out of you…" Ru grinned as the sky around them began to glow.

Gohan looked around confused as he heard a loud pop and saw the glow coming from strange orbs floating around the sky. They were surrounded by them, dozens of the orbs Ru had been throwing at him. They hadn't just dissipated like normal energy but instead propagated around them. Putting up a defense Gohan readied himself for the energy to hit him. It was strange as even with all the orbs combined, the energy emanating from them didn't feel that strong.

"You may be strong Sovereign, but you and I… we're still on completely different levels…" More of the orbs began to pop as Ru spoke. Across the sky a chain reaction of bursting and popping swirled around Gohan. The air around Gohan began to shift and move with the rotation of the popping forces.

Still unsure of what was going on, Gohan was about to demand an answer from Ru when he noticed he couldn't really speak. He tried to take in a breath but in the same instance found there was no air to breath. Ru had created a barrier around him depriving him of air. Gohan tried dashing toward Ru, but without a decent breath in his lungs his attack was staggered. The air barrier followed him as he crashed into Ru hard enough to roll them both forward, but nowhere near hard enough to loosen Ru's concentration on the attack.

Gohan's fists clenched tighter onto Ru's shirt as he tried to punch but just couldn't gather the energy. In a flash of light Gohan dropped from his transformed state and his hair turned to black.

With a devilish grin on his face, Ru held up his hand and simply waved goodbye to Gohan as the boy's grip faltered and he began to fall from the sky. The air barrier followed him all the way to the ground. He collided hard and his hands moved to his throat as he dry heaved from the suffocation. His lungs were burning, demanding the needed sustenance of life.

Goku felt his son's energy dropping and in an ethereal moment turned to see his son writhing on the ground. He turned back toward the others who were still concentrating on containing Buu as he saw a shadow approach.

Piccolo's eyes widened as he was struck from behind and a sharp talon like blade burst from his chest spraying the field in front of him with purple blood, "That's for nearly blinding me you pathetic worm!"

Piccolo's eyes shifted to look over his shoulder to try and spot a weakness in Ru's attack. Goku dropped his hold on Buu and charged toward Ru and Piccolo.

"Oh does that hurt? Here, I'll make it stop!" Ru's talon transformed into energy becoming two separate blades. In a quick scissor like motion he chopped Piccolo in half. Goku stared disbelievingly as Piccolo's upper body fell from his lower half and flopped to the ground, "No more helping your little Sovereign pup, is that clear?"

With only Vegeta holding the barrier in place over Buu, the bubble began to expand and Buu's struggling resumed.

"You monster!" Goku ran across the battlefield like a locomotive and struck Ru. Ru flipped back from the force of the impact but landed on his feet. The two jumped into the air and rushed each other. Punches and kicks were matched blow for blow.

Goku swung his elbow out and hit Ru across the head. Ru attempted to counter with a swift kick, but Goku used his instant transmission to dodge out of the way. He immediately appeared at Ru's side with a beam gathered at his side, "HAMEHAAA!"

Ru took the beam and was blasted backward. "Damn… he's strong too…" Goku burst through the sky, overtaking Ru as they grappled high above the ground.

Ru noticed something about the warrior he was fighting, "Your power is quite similar to that Sovereign brat's. Are you by chance kin?"

Goku held his own against Ru's force and started pushing him back, "That Sovereign Guardian you're talking about is my son."

Ru grinned slyly, "Well don't you think he's looking a little blue?"

Goku turned towards where he last saw his son and noticed Gohan was just lying there completely still and pale.

The distraction was enough as Ru slammed his fist against Goku's face and kicked him in the other direction. He quickly resumed flight toward Buu knowing Goku would save his son rather than stop him.

Vegeta saw Ru returning. He planted his feet firmly into the ground setting Buu between him and Ru, "I'll take them both on!" Vegeta powered up, his long golden hair spiked radically as the energies exuded from his body.

Knowing he had to time his attack perfectly, Vegeta dropped his hold on buu, releasing the creature who turned angrily toward him. With his right hand extended, Vegeta concentrated all of his energy forward, "This is the end for you! FINAL SHINE ATTACK!" A massive beam of energy launched from his hand and engulfed Buu in its light.

Ru noticed the beam approaching and that it was expanding wider the further out it flew. He covered his face with his arms as the beam overtook him as well.

The light intensified and finally erupted into an explosion which shook the planet. The light began to settle and Vegeta dropped to his knees. He was completely out of breath and his hair immediately lost its golden luster returning to its normal length and black color.

The smoke and dust began to settle as Vegeta continued to stare in the direction of his attack. In the midst of it all, the outline of a figure became visible through the debris.

"Damn…" Vegeta swore through clenched teeth.

Ru lowered his arms and looked them over. The hard scales covering his arms which he had used to defend himself had actually melted from the intensity of the attack revealing some bone underneath. "That hurt…" Ru clenched his teeth as he tried to tread forward, "You hurt me!"

Vegeta couldn't even move; he hadn't the power now to even stand as Ru slowly approached. He looked around more though and noticed Majin Buu was nowhere to be seen. He tried sensing for Buu's location but found no trace. In that realization a smile crept across Vegeta's face. The smile widened and soon the Saiyan Prince burst into laughter.

Ru growled sinisterly as he approached at first not certain what the saiyan found so amusing. Slowly the realization sank in to him as well. Majin Buu had been standing at a closer range to the attack and now he was gone. He looked frantically from side to side, trying to get a feel for the creature's position. As he panicked Vegeta's laugh continued to echo through his head.

Anger swelled up within Ru, "SHUT UP!" He lashed out an energy beam which struck Vegeta, exploding the ground around him and sent him tumbling away. Vegeta's head hit the ground and he blacked out.

Ru sank to the ground. Here he was; a timeless immortal… a legend across infinity known for near infinite power and strength… a being with a purpose and grandeur destiny… the raging storm which could never be quelled… Yet here he was now, beaten and hurt by insects… his energy almost too low to heal himself… his pride in shreds… and his destiny shattered to pieces and scattered in the ashes around him. He felt sick. He felt like crying…

"They'll pay… Oh they'll pay…" Ru's fist shook in anger. He was about to slam that same fist into the ground when a bubble of steam under fist caught his attention.

Stopping for a moment to compose himself, Ru looked over the ground again. Another steam bubble escaped from the loose dirt. Not far off another one did as well. More began going off all around him until the ground looked as if it were boiling.

Vegeta rolled on the ground and managed to open one eye, "It… It can't be…"

The life force began to make itself known again. It was weak, but alive. Ru drove his hands into the ground and started pumping his own energy into the soil, "Yes… Come to me… You and I who are one… across the boundaries of reality now shall we merge forever…" The boiling became more intense and started kicking up large pockets of sand as steam bellowed from the ground enshrouding Ru within its haze.

Sparks of energy began rippling across the ground. The small sparks graduated in enormous waves. A great pillar of light pierced the sky from the mist and a tsunami of energy raved across time and space with Ru at the center. The atmosphere of the earth gave way as incredible power manifested at the bottom of the pillar.

The witch Baba waved her hands over her crystal ball as the disturbance of energy rifted across her domain. "What in…" In attempting to tune into the energy's frequency, her crystal ball completely shattered in an instant covering her in crystal dust, "NO! This… this means…"

King Kai's antennae buzzed as he sensed the transformation from his small planet at the end of snake way, "What are those saiyans doing now…? WHOA!" The discharge between his antennae exploded and threw him to the side of his house where he collided into Bubbles and Gregory. The two assistants to the Kai crawled out from under him and noticed he was completely blacked out with his sunglasses askew.

Master Roshi looked up from the card table he was seated at with Krillin just before Dende began to scream in terror. "It's monstrous! It's… It's horrible! It's…"

Yamcha grabbed onto Dende and shook him slightly to try and snap the young guardian out of his craze, "What is Dende? What is it?"

Dende still looked completely panicked, "It's the end of everything!"

Layers of the earth were peeled away as the shockwaves of power tore through the planet. The pillar of light returned to the ground and the storm began to settle. Standing in the center, glowing as bright as any star in the sky, stood something new. Rather than scales, his muscles and tail were covered in smooth crimson plates. His eyes were completely black without any sign of pupils within the oceanic gaze. His head was elongated back, tapering into some kind of antenna. He flexed as his muscles bulged out larger from the power.

"Weaklings behold your new god… I bring you a new age of harmony… The harmony of Rubu!" He powered up and his aura spread, consuming all in its light.

* * *

End Chapter

Hope this chapter was worth the long wait. I'll probably be going through the story this weekend and going over the last few chapters to correct for typos. I haven't done that for a while so I'm sure the last four chapters or so are in need of some proofing.

So what does everyone think? Are we getting epic yet? I know people are going to be bashing me for exploiting the power level curve of the story, but don't worry too much… I think I know what I'm doing!

Hope to hear from you all!

'Till next time!


	28. Devil's Advocate

Thanks a lot for everyone's continued support! At the time of this posting this story has actually surpassed 300 reviews! That is absolutely phenomenal… I mean… WOW! Thank you ALL so very much. I had set my goal for the entire story to hopefully hit 300 reviews, yet here we are with plenty of story left and we already hit my goal! I don't know how to thank all of you who have been such dedicated readers throughout this whole time. It really makes me feel like someday I might just succeed in making writing a profession instead of a hobby! I will admit I kind of cheated because in my profile I created a bit of a contest that whoever left me my 300th review to the story that I would write them a one shot about anything they wanted. Lady Venamisa punched in the actual 300th review and as promised I will be writing her one shot story. Thanks a bunch!

Oh, and to avoid confusion I wanted to make a quick note that the events in this chapter are happening mostly at the same time as the events in the previous one. Enjoy!

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Chapter 27: Devil's Advocate

* * *

There was a definite battle happening only a short distance away. The echoes of screams and the reverberation of mighty blows could be felt for miles. It was still almost impossible to tell what was happening through the binoculars as nothing was staying still.

"Damn! It's like trying to watch a race between mosquitoes!" Videl Satan spat angrily as she looked up quickly, then to the left, and down trying to keep up with the motion blurs.

Hercule Satan attempted to keep his appearance of confidence boosted as he squinted his eyes trying to see the battle ahead. The constant thunderous booming of connecting blows and the shockwaves of heated air blowing by his face kept throwing Mister Satan into flashbacks of the cell games. The earthly hero was doing his best to suppress the thoughts of "Oh we're so gonna die!" from his mind but dealt with substantial difficulty as energy blasts and explosions went off around them like a warzone.

The two fighting in the sky came to a halt floating only a few dozen meters away. Videl immediately fixed her binoculars on the two. It took a moment for the focus to adjust, but the moment it did she was able to lock onto a face, "It can't be…"

Videl scrambled from her position and ran closer, "Videl, what's wrong?" Hercule called.

Once Videl was in range to get a better look with the binoculars she stopped and refocused, "Is it…?"

"Videl? You're scaring me, tell daddy what's wrong!" Mister Satan pleaded with his daughter.

Lowering the binoculars, Videl continued to stare up at the two warriors facing off in the sky, "There's a little boy fighting up there… and… it's my angel…"

Mister Satan blinked blankly a few times, "You're… what?"

"Remember when I lost in the tournament and was rushed to the infirmary?" Videl started while never taking her eyes away from the stare down, "His hair is a different color, but it's that face… that face is what appeared to me and healed me. Take a look." Videl handed her father the binoculars.

"Hair is a different color, then what are you talking… ahee yeee!" Mister Satan focused on the boy floating in the sky and immediately the images of the Cell Games crashed at full force. Quick flash back scenes blinked rapidly through his head as he remembered the little boy with golden hair who stood against the monster. The boy no one took seriously until he pounded Cell into the ground, "It… is it him? Again…? How can he be here again?" Videl turned to her father, watching him as he backed away with his grip still trembling while holding the binoculars, "It can't be… it just can't be the same boy… the boy who beat Cell…"

Videl's eyes widened as she heard her father mutter out the last part. Hercule was too stunned to even realize he was speaking out loud, "Dad?"

Finally noticing he was stuttering out loud while backing up, Hercule stopped and looked dumbly over at his daughter, "I… uh…"

"What did you say dad?" Videl took a step closer trying to tell for certain if her father said what she thought she heard him say.

A high pitched shriek filled the sky like the sound of a falling bomb as a deflected energy wave flew over head and impacted the ground close to the Satans before exploding. Mister Satan noticed the rock and debris coming their way and tackled his daughter to the ground, shielding her with his body as the rocks grazed over them.

Videl coughed from the kicked up dust and noticed her dad shaking above her, "Dad? Are you alright?"

"I'm… fine…" Videl pushed him off of her and noticed he'd been struck hard in the back by the rocks and was bleeding badly.

"Oh no…" Videl tore open the back of her father's gi shirt and tried pulling out some of the lodged jagged rocks. "This looks bad… Damn! We should have brought the first aid kit!" She looked around for a moment making sure there were no more projectiles headed their way, "Dad, I'm going back to the jet. Don't move, I'll be back with the first aid kid to patch you up!"

"I'll be… alright…" Mister Satan tried pushing himself up, but the pain from the rock crashing into his shoulder blade immobilized his arm and he sank again to the ground.

"I don't think so, just hold on!" Videl jumped up and ran back toward the plane they arrived in.

Videl was running through the crater the blast made and nearly screamed as she heard a voice, "Ohhh… head hurts so bad!" She stopped in her tracks and saw a large fat pink thing sitting up.

"What… are you…?" Videl asked feeling slightly intimidated by the alien looking creature.

The chubby face turned to look in her direction and just looked at her for a moment before replying in a childish voice, "Me Buu, who are you?"

"Buu?" Videl took a step back, "You mean… there's more than one of them?"

The large Majin Buu stood up and stretched. He stuck his thumb in his mouth and blew hard as a few dents across his body straightened out, "That better!" he smiled.

Though shocked would be an understatement, Videl didn't feel frightened of this innocent looking creature and decided to approach it, "…My name is Videl… Videl Satan."

Majin Buu nodded, "Hello Videl Videl Satan!"

Videl shook her head, "No, sorry, it's Videl only once."

Buu put a finger to his mouth looking as if he were thinking, "Strange name Videl Only Once…"

"No… never mind…" Videl shook her head and laughed.

Buu's head cocked to the side and asked in a worried voice, "You laughing at Buu?"

Shaking her head again Videl took a step closer to Buu, "No, I'm laughing because I think you're cute."

"You think Buu cute?" Buu looked down for a moment and back up again to face the girl, "So if you think Buu cute, then you no think Buu scary?"

"The Majin Buu I saw before looked scary," Videl appraised Buu again quickly, "But you… no… I don't think you're scary at all."

Majin Buu grinned wide, "Videl Videl likes Buu!"

Videl put a hand against her forehead and chuckled a bit more.

"And thinks Buu is cute!" he continued to cheer.

"Okay, okay! Well it was nice meeting you mister good Buu. I'm glad you're alright, but my dad is hurt and I really need to help him," Videl turned to start heading back to the jet again.

Buu stopped her before she could leave, "Videl Videl's dad is hurt? Buu can help Videl Videl!"

Not wanting to waste time, but at the same time feeling curious, Videl asked, "What can you do?"

"Buu make Videl Videl's dad all better!" Majin Buu smiled.

Videl shrugged realizing it was worth a try, "Follow me, he's this way!"

"Kay!" Buu followed behind excitedly the short distance back to Hercule.

Mister Satan hadn't moved from his prone position on the ground, his face almost buried in the sand. Videl ran up to him and kneeled by his head, "Dad, I've brought someone who I hope can help you. Just lay still… I think…"

A muffled "Okay…" came from below.

Videl pointed to her dad's bloodied back side, "What do you think? Can you help him?"

Majin Buu nodded, "Buu help! Buu help!"

A muffled "What?" came again from the sand.

Buu held out his large gloved hands over Hercule's back. A deep pink glow overcame his hands and extended from him into Mister Satan. The glow of energy gave off a strange tinkling noise. Videl watched in amazement as her father's wounds began to close.

Within seconds the glow ceased, "There! All better now!"

Mister Satan opened his eyes and blinked a few times before trying to push himself up. Miraculously, there was no pain, and he was able to stand as if nothing were wrong, "This is… That was amazing! What did you do Videl?"

Videl smiled at her father, "Don't thank me it was all him!"

"Well thanks mister, I don't know how to…" Mister Satan turned around and came face to face with the pink Majin, "Wahh iyaaahahah…" Mister Satan immediately jumped into a karate stance, striking one pose, then another, "Back away from my daughter monster or you will face the wrath of the champ who saved the world!"

"It's alright dad, he's a good guy, you can calm down!" Videl reassured her father.

Majin Buu started to giggle watching Mister Satan's poses, "Man is silly!"

Hercule leaned down closer to his daughter, "Are you sure he's safe."

Videl smiled weakly and replied, "Well, he hasn't tried to hurt anyone yet."

Majin Buu shook his head, "Buu only hurt who master says to!"

The two immediately stopped and stared wide eyed and slightly scared of the last comment, "And who is this master… exactly?" Hercule asked.

"First was Bibidi, then was Babadi, but Buu no see him round… Maybe you Buu's new master!" Buu cheered as he danced around.

The two Satan's looked at each other for a moment until an idea struck Hercule's mind. He took a step closer to Buu, "Okay Buu, now if we're you're new masters then there are a few new rules you need to follow."

Buu sat down on the ground in front of Hercule, "Kay! Like what?"

Having gotten Buu's attention easy enough, Hercule started, "First…" He looked over to Videl for support but she only motioned for him to go on, "First you must never ever hurt another good person again!"

Majin Buu nodded, "Okay!" A short pause went by, "Why?"

Mister Satan cleared his throat, "Well you see Buu… I can call you Buu right?"

Buu nodded, "Uh-huh!"

"Thanks, Like I was saying Buu," Mister Satan started pacing trying to put his words together.

"It's wrong!" Both Hercule and Buu looked over to Videl as she spoke up and finally came closer, "No matter what, a good person is important. Even if they're not rich, even if they're not strong a life is the most precious thing in the world Buu! Life is more valuable than gold, more substantial than steel, and more fragile than glass. Above all else, good lives must be protected!"

Buu put a finger to his mouth as he took in Videl's words, "More important than cake and candy?"

Videl chuckled again, "Much more."

Buu looked down for a moment, "When Buu was hurting people… that was bad?"

"It was very bad… of the one who told you to do it," Videl hoped to make the connection in Buu's mind.

Cocking his head to the side, Majin Buu began to process the information, "Buu not want to be bad… Buu not bad!" Buu looked the other way, "Buu's old masters bad!"

"They were Buu!" Hercule said immediately, "But you don't have to listen to them anymore!"

Buu was quiet for a few more moments. Finally he nodded, "Buu no hurt any good people ever again!"

Videl smiled to her father, "Looks like you're a hero after all dad!"

Mister Satan looked down, "Listen sweetie… about that…"

A quick hand interrupted him, "Dad… it's alright… I mean, what you did wasn't nice at all to the people who did all the work, and you basically lied to the whole world…"

Hercule looked away as a feeling of shame washed over him, "I…"

"You feel bad, and you should! But now isn't the time to dwell on that…" Videl hopped on top of a rock and gazed back into the battle zone, "It's him isn't it?"

Mister Satan looked up in the sky as well, "I… I don't know how… But that boy… he's the same one who was there at the Cell Games seven years ago. And yes… he was the one who defeated that Cell monster…"

"Thinking about it now I remember the pictures of the golden haired boy from the Cell Games…" Videl chuckled to herself, "At the time I thought he was so cute."

"VIDEL!" Mister Satan exclaimed loudly; shocked that his daughter would admit such a thing to him.

"Give it a rest dad, I was eleven," Videl sighed trying to watch the battle in the sky, "And he still is…"

Mister Satan tried to think of something else to say to his daughter, "If he is the one then that defeated Cell… then he can stop that guy whoever he is no problem!"

"Yes…" Videl smiled as she saw the boy definitely had his opponent on the run. "Who is that guy? He looks like a really beefy gecko…"

"He does huh…" Mister Satan agreed as he watched the fight as well.

The monster was getting frantic trying to hit the boy. He threw strange glowing orbs, but the boy effortlessly dodged each one. "It's only a matter of time now…" Videl's grin returned to her face, "I guess I was right after all, he really is like an angel who comes to save us all."

Majin Buu came up from behind to watch the battle curiously as well, "Pretty circles…"

"Huh?" Videl looked at Buu and then pulled out the binoculars again. "Hey… that doesn't seem right…"

"What is it?" Mr. Satan asked nervously.

"That monster is throwing those glowing spheres, and he's missing each time… but they're not falling to the ground or dissipating in the air… look!" Videl thrust the binoculars over her father's eyes, "They're all just floating there!"

Hercule's expression read confusion as well as he looked from east to west across the sky, "You're right… and they're just about everywhere now…"

The two disappeared from sight, clashing a short distance away and reappeared on the other side of the valley. The monster threw many more of the spheres at the boy who deflected them all away from him once again.

A horrible feeling crept over Videl which sent chills down her spine. The two were floating very still, looking as if they were speaking to each other. All the spheres in the sky suddenly began to move. They all converged around the two floating warriors, and Videl realized it was some kind of trick. She dropped the binoculars as she screamed as loud as she could, "LOOK OUT!" The moment she shouted the sky was abruptly filled with light as the dim glow of the spheres intensified many time over and began to pop. In rapid succession all of the spheres began to burst in the sky and a strong wind kicked up in the valley blowing at Buu and the Satans on the ground.

Videl and Hercule shielded their faces as dust was kicked up from the strong gusts, "What is he doing?" Mister Satan demanded.

The wind died off as mysteriously as it began, and the sky became deathly still. The air was completely calm, not even a slight breeze brushed through their clothes as they continued to watch the happenings in the sky. The movements in the air were silent and Videl kneeled to pick up the binoculars again.

As she zoomed in to the scene she saw the boy had the alien tight in his grip, but his facial expression was drooping. The monster only waved to the boy as he suddenly fell from the sky.

Videl's eyes widened as she followed the small body down… Down, down until he hit the ground hard. His hands were clasping his throat, and his face was turning blue, "He's being choked! He… he…" A shock passed over Videl's head as she realized what must have happened, "He has no air… Those orbs took away all his air!"

Mister Satan gasped as he watched the boy writhe on the ground as well. The monster dove from the sky now locked on to a new target.

"Dad, we have to help him!" Videl started climbing over the rocks, but Mister Satan grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.

"Videl, no! It's too dangerous! You've seen what they are; we have nothing compared to what they can do!" Hercule held his daughter tight.

"Dad! Let me go!" Videl screamed.

The monster collided with the ground and stabbed some kind of sharp protrusions of his body through one of the other fighters and quickly split him in half.

Hercule clenched his eyes tight, "I'm not gonna lose my baby girl!"

The monster kicked one of the other fighters out of his way and continued his crash course towards the last.

Videl put a foot against her father's chest as she tried to kick off of him, "After everything he's done for us! He saved our entire planet! Let you take the credit and get rich off of it! And still he comes back to do it all again! I might have died at the tournament if it wasn't for him! NOW LET ME GO!"

A light emitted from the last warrior on the battle field and instant later the entire valley was overflowing with crackling energy and a thunderous roar. Videl and Hercule were completely knocked over and the covered their ears to block out the incredible noise.

Majin Buu's eyes opened as he stared out across the glassed landscape, "Buu?"

Videl and Hercule finally stood again and saw the ground by the monster bubbling over. A great pillar of energy enveloped the monster, and a sensation of gloom radiated off the bright crimson light. Mister Satan took his daughter's hand in his own as they watched the power tear through the sky, "Okay…" Videl looked up at her father with a confused glimmer in her eye, "We go help him… together!"

Videl smiled, "Let's do it!"

Hercule nodded, and turned to Buu who was still watching the light extend across time and space, "And Buu!"

"Hmmm?" Buu glanced back toward the Satans.

"I'm not going to order you to do anything," Mister Satan started, "But a good guy would help those guys over there stop whatever comes out of that light, understand?"

Majin Buu smiled, "Buu understand! Buu good guy!"

"That a boy! Go get 'em!" Hercule yelled as Buu hopped up and flew through the air toward the battle ground.

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End Chapter

I think this somehow turned out to be one of the most serious chapters to date… Weird…

So I'd love for the reviews to keep coming, in fact the idea is bouncing through my head of maybe offering that whole one shot story thing to every 100th reviewer. Think it's a good idea? We'll see how this first one goes and take it from there!

Oh and if any of you have a twitter account, I just created one for my story updates! I can be found at twitter dot com slash revstuff (Sorry about spelling the url out… you know how FF is about posting links and all…) If you'd like to follow me there, I'd love to follow you back!

Hope you're all having fun!

'Till next time!


	29. Perfection Ascertained

Sorry about the lack of update last week. My profile readers are aware that I was out of town last weekend. Unfortunately dealing with family and life in general limited my time a bit on writing this week which is why there was no Serius Prime update this week, and technically this chapter is kind of short compared to the others of this story. I think it came out pretty good still, but I'll let you all read and tell me what you think!

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Chapter 28: Perfection Ascertained

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The battle ground was uncharacteristically silent. The dust had settled from the stupor of events which had culminated in a shift of universal energies assembling upon a single point of reality.

The newly self appointed god of all creation, Rubu, overlooked himself thoroughly. "Unfathomable…" he clenched his fists as sparks emitted from his plate like scales. His exposed skin bore a rubbery texture with a light hue between grey and red.

Opening his hands, Rubu ran them along his face, moving upward he caressed his scalp, "So this is the form of deities, marvel at its splendor and glory."

On the nearby ground, Vegeta opened an eye and took in the transpired events, "No… damn it all…" He grunted while pushing himself up, driven by nearly pure will. "Can't… can't let this happen… Bulma… Trunks… everyone is in danger!" Vegeta's voice picked up as he found strength within himself and his power returned to him. In a flash of gold, Vegeta's hair lengthened down his back and he screamed as summoned forth almost more power than his bruised body could tolerate.

"The scourge of the dirt calls up in defiance of the heavens does it?" Rubu snickered as he watched Vegeta's energy build.

Vegeta burst through the air at super speed, flying beyond the speeds at which the light reflecting off the objects around him could flicker. The world turned black around him as he drove his fist into Rubu's face.

A deep scowl formed on Vegeta's face as he awaited the reaction of his attack. His look of anger was immediately replaced with shock as he saw Rubu's face has contorted around his fist and simply slid back into position the moment Vegeta's hand was removed, "No!"

Taking a quick jump back, Vegeta gathered pure saiyan ki into his hands and fired more powerful blasts at the monster before him.

Rubu took notice of the oncoming attacks and held out his hands. Moments before the energy made impact, Rubu's own limbs made a drastic conversion to become long tendons of energy which wrapped around the incoming blasts and absorbed them into his being. A glow washed over Rubu as his arms returned to their more solid state. "Living energy, truly the feast for any god," Rubu moved slightly forward, his body vibrated as though moving in many directions at once but remained completely still at the same time.

Vegeta watched the movement carefully; it didn't appear as though Rubu moved more than a millimeter in any direction around his current one. Before the Saiyan Prince could better grasp what had taken place a swell of pressure built in his esophagus. Before his hands could reach his mouth, Vegeta coughed out a large amount of blood and sank to his knees. Pain suddenly wracked his body as he realized he'd been struck at least twenty times in that brief instant without the sensation even registering in his brain.

"Damn it… how…" Vegeta shook unable to support himself as his the gold from his hair faded once again.

"How splendid… to receive my first sacrifice… this moment will be remembered I assure you," Rubu approached Vegeta with an eerie glow emanating from his extremities.

The energy surrounding Rubu began to manifest into a horrifying array of light which beckoned Vegeta inside. Vegeta's teeth clenched tight, blood still seeping from between the gaps in his mouth when two gloved hands closed around the front of Rubu's torso, "Hurting people bad, you very bad!"

"What?" Rubu turned his head to see the larger Buu behind him, "How are you still?"

"Buu stop you hurting people!" Buu ducked down slightly, and with a great heave launched himself with Rubu still in his grasp up into the air at amazing speed. Vegeta watched with a look of pure confusion on his face as the two soared high into the upper reaches of the earth's atmosphere almost beyond where his saiyan eyes could even make out the smallest dot of their location and then the sky was filled with light from a tremendous explosion. The shockwave bounded out into space from the energy of the attack.

"That… power…" Vegeta clenched his teeth and tried dragging himself toward the others.

"He's not breathing!" Goku shouted in concern.

"Give it a second here; Panacea Crackers don't just work like magic you know!" Phips crossed his arms and tapped his foot.

"…They don't?" Goku looked completely dumbfounded by the imp's statement.

Seeing his sarcasm was lost on the man, Phips only shrugged and kept quiet, "Just don't worry yet…"

"Is he alright?" Two newcomers approached, one of which Goku recognized immediately as Mister Satan, the guy Chichi wanted him to beat at the tournament.

Phips turned around as Videl approached causing her to immediately take in the sight of the small imp like creature with four long pointy ears atop its head. She slowed her sprint for a moment, but after the things she'd already seen that day quickly shook it off and ran over to them.

After a moment of looking at the strange girl, Phips finally recognized her, "You're that girl from the tournament that Gohan gave the Panacea Cracker to!"

"Gohan?" Videl whispered to herself but quickly composed herself back up, "Yes, he went out of his way to save me, and now he looks hurt. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Phips noticed the anxiousness in Videl's voice and an evil glimmer came over his eye. Goku caught the subtle expression change but didn't know what to make of it.

Phips ran over to Videl and grabbed her hand, "OH! Thank goodness you're here! It's terrible, awful, he could die! But… But you can save him!"

A stricken look crossed Goku's face as he wondered why Phips hadn't mentioned anything before about the situation being so dire.

Hercule finally caught up to Videl and panted as he tried to catch his breath. A look of determination crossed Videl's face, "I'll do anything to help, just tell me what I can do!"

Phips dragged Videl by the hand to Gohan's side and continued his exasperation of over acting, "He… he's not breathing! I don't know how long he can last like that… Hurry, you have to give him mouth to mouth!"

Videl swallowed a large lump in her throat, but after seeing the imp implore her as he was she quickly agreed, "Alright!" Videl kneeled down by Gohan's side.

Phips quickly trotted over to Goku, "Watch this!" he whispered excitedly. Goku was still dumbstruck by what was going on but did as Phips insisted.

Videl lowered her face to Gohan's and with her hands on his chest, their lips made contact. Gohan's eyes slowly opened as the Panacea Cracker chose that moment to take effect. For a second the boy's mind was still hazy as he tried to grasp what exactly had happened to him when the strange sensation on his lips brought his thoughts back to reality.

Gohan's eyes shot open wide and he sat up, startling Videl off of him. A crimson blush spread across his cheeks as he just stared at the girl who had been in such intimate contact with him only a moment prior.

"WOOO!" Phips hollered as he began to roll on the ground and laugh hysterically. Gohan glared menacingly in his direction knowing the imp had something to do with his compromising predicament.

With a blush still evident on Gohan's face, he turned back to Videl and scratched the back of his head, "Sorry about my friend there… he does… weird things…"

Videl shook her head and stood, "Don't… it's okay…" she spoke sounding rather flustered about the situation herself.

Gohan flipped himself onto his feet, "Where's Ru?"

"Oh…" Phips stopped laughing and suddenly looked serious, "You're not going to like it…" Phips pointed up.

Gohan followed the gesture and looked into the sky, "Oh sh…"

"It's going to be one of those days…" Phips hopped up and ran to Videl and Hercule, "Come on now, we need to make ourselves scarce."

"Wait! Isn't there something we can really do to help?" Videl shouted in a commanding voice.

"As of this instant…" Videl was startled by a new voice coming from behind her. She turned to see Shin, the Supreme Kai, and Kibito standing there still affixed on the battle, "…there is nothing any of us can do… I hate to say this… but we should abandon this planet and restructure elsewhere with greater force."

"NOT A CHANCE!" Gohan grit his teeth and clenched his fists tight, "He thinks he's getting his way… If we let him be, he'll terrorize countless trillions of lives… destroy millions of worlds… No, I won't allow it! We stand up to him here and now!" Gohan's power burst to life around him as his hair and aura burned bright platinum and his tail sprung forth from his pants again.

Goku moved his gaze from the light in the sky, to his son, back to the sky, and back to his son once again, "Gohan… He's a lot stronger than all of us now…"

"It doesn't matter…" Gohan took in a deep breath and smiled to his dad, "After all you're the one who taught me… this is what life is all about right?"

Goku closed his eyes and let out a small chuckle, "I guess so."

"Then let's do it!" Gohan burst through the air up toward the light.

"Right behind you son!" Goku powered up, transforming into his third level super saiyan form and shot up after Gohan.

The Supreme Kai sighed, "The entire universe it at stake here… we must do all we can to assist these warriors… Kibito, attend to the wounded hurry."

"Immediately sir," Kibito flew toward Vegeta who was still sprawled on the ground nearby.

Thunderous roars echoed across the sky as Rubu pummeled Majin Buu across the mesosphere. "UUU!" Buu squealed as another blow was dealt to his gummy body.

"You are a completely inferior being, yet you defy me? Now incur my wrath!" Rubu created an energy ball and threw it into Majin Buu, the explosion melting away part of Buu's rubbery flesh.

Majin Buu sank in the sky briefly but quickly restored his body. His eyes opened wide and a bright yellow glow emitted from within, "POWER!" Buu yelled as steam escaped the pores of his body. Buu dove at Rubu throwing all the damage inflicted back upon his enemy.

Rubu just as simply caught the attack, "Don't be fooled into believing that annoying reversal trick of yours will work on me. Also don't flatter yourself by believing I'm actually using a fraction of my power to fight you…"

Buu pulled back another fist and threw a punch aimed for Rubu's head. As the attack approached, Rubu's head became energy negating the effects of Buu's attack. The transformation flowed down Rubu's entire body until he became a lucid glowing pool of power. Like liquid he flowed through the air and entered Majin Buu's body though his various pours and mouth.

"What you do?" Majin Buu swung around mad in an attempt to keep Rubu out of his body. A glow began to build inside of Buu, "Oh no!" Energy gathered from within and an explosion burst Buu apart into millions of small sludge like pieces.

Rubu floated perfectly calm in the epicenter of the shockwave, "Eventually you will have no choice but to learn your place."

"RU!" Below he noticed Gohan approaching.

"Ah, the worms rise from the dank soil to embrace the sullen sky, blind to the truth that their dreams of greatness have long since fleeted away," Rubu grinned as Gohan stopped in front of him.

"This ends now Ru!" Gohan's aura gave off incredible pulses drastically increasing the air pressure surrounding the pair.

"Ru? I'm afraid you've mistaken me for a child born of natural circumstance. I am a lord! I am peace! I am righteousness! I am… Harmony! My name, written among the stars, know it well for I am Rubu! My word is absolute, and by my proclamation your existence now ceases!" Rubu flexed his muscles as a deep aura began to spin around his core.

Gohan shook his head, "You were mad before… but now you're completely insane. A power like that is not yours to wield. I will find a way to stop you! I promise that!"

Goku arrived by Gohan's side also prepared to fight, "To go on, you'll have to take us all down!"

Rubu's eyes narrowed and in an instant akin to a frame of motion on a reel, his body stiffened straight and he let out a mighty howl as his energy rippled from his body and propelled the two saiyans away from him.

Goku's eyes were squeezed shut as he tried to regain his balance when his motion was quickly halted by a grip on his hair. He opened his eyes in time to see Rubu pull his body in an arch and slam a foot into his ribs, audibly cracking at least three of them. With a flip, Rubu kicked Goku downward and turned toward Gohan. In a move that looked as if Rubu's body elongated across the distance between Goku and Gohan, Rubu's elbow implanted itself into Gohan's jaw, twisting his neck to an unnatural degree. Gohan's body began to roll until he stopped himself with and outstretched his hands to counter attack Rubu. Rubu disappeared from sight and appeared behind Gohan, his hand gripped onto Gohan's hair as he rammed his fist into Gohan's face several times before letting go and viscously kicking Gohan to the side.

Gohan shook off the pain and reached for the Realis. His hand grabbed only air where the hilt of the sword should have been. He turned to see Rubu holding the weapon, "Let's leave toys out of this, shall we?" he tossed the sword away and Gohan watched as it soared across the planet.

Energy collected in Gohan's fists as he focused harder and charged Rubu again. A punch from the left and right were easily dodged by Rubu who grabbed Gohan's extended right arm, spun him around and tossed him into Vegeta who was trying to launch a sneak attack from below.

The two saiyans collided and tumbled downward stopping after a kilometer of freefall. Gohan rubbed his head, "Are you alright Vegeta?"

"Just fine!" Vegeta growled only a moment before Rubu's knee struck him in the back. Gohan appeared to Rubu's side out of super speed to knock the monster off of Vegeta but only hit an after image as the real Rubu kicked Gohan across the face stretching the skin of the boy's cheek in the fierce attack and in the same movement firing a blast back toward Vegeta. Vegeta tried to block the blast but the force behind it left him charred and knocked him back a good deal. An elbow dropped onto the top of Vegeta's head impacting with a sickening crack before he could halt himself from the knockback effect from the previous attack and he plummeted toward the ground.

Gohan saw the strike and rushed in to help as Rubu phased in behind Gohan and grabbed him in an arm lock. Gohan pulled forward as hard as he could trying to break free of Rubu's grasp but had no play at all in the beast's hold.

"Amazing isn't it?" Rubu chuckled to himself, "All that power you possess is absolutely nothing when compared to my glory."

"There's nothing amazing or glorious about you!" Gohan spat out. "You're no better than any other bully I've ever fought! You think you're special, you think you're strong, but deep down you're still just a sick nuisance that takes pleasure in the suffering of others."

"You're right about one thing…" Rubu leaned in closer to Gohan's ear, his breath breezed over his skin, "It pleases me greatly watching your pain. You who attempted to defy the birth of this divineness… you deserve to suffer for your heresy. You deserve to suffer for eternity… Yes this physical pain isn't enough!" Rubu squeezed Gohan tightly crushing his limbs against the strong platelets, "Judgment upon your soul will be severe blasphemer! I will crush your heart!"

Rubu's body began to glow and in his place around Gohan formed solid restraint bars holding his body stiff and still. Rubu reformed in front of him, "There is much you hold locked away in here, isn't there?" Rubu's finger extended into a sharp blade which he slid over the left side of Gohan's chest, slicing open his shirt and jabbing into his skin. A Trickle of blood escaped reddening Gohan's blue gi, "What is it you hold most dear?"

Moving his hands from Gohan's chest to his face, Rubu held Gohan's head still and stared into the golden eyes, "You're secrets cannot hide from my gaze of truth you Sovereign fool!"

Gohan tried to squeeze his eyes shut, unsure of what Rubu was trying to do, "Stop this!"

"No…" Rubu held his thumbs over Gohan's eyes and forced the lids open, "You noble idiot, I am well aware of your distaste for the suffering of the innocent, I want something… AH!" Rubu's mouth elongated into a long grin, "You are hiding… family? Quite a large family? A large almost… defenseless… family? Where?"

Gohan yelled as he tried to close off his thoughts to Rubu as best he could, "No way… You won't find them!"

Rubu punched Gohan across the jaw again. Blood flew from Gohan's mouth and dripped off his lips as he attempted to retain his focus.

"Have it your way… We can use this as… entertainment?" Rubu laughed as he floated away from Gohan, "You're going to love this!" Rubu inhaled deeply and held his breath in for a moment. He opened his mouth wide and began to breathe out as a glowing bubble left his mouth and grew larger as he filled it with air and energy from his lungs.

Gohan watched from his swollen eye as the bubble grew and popped. Several dozen small creatures fell from within the bubble. Their appearances varied in mass and color but mostly resembled short sludge like or gummy humanoids.

The lot of creatures began floating on their own power and lined up in front of Rubu, "And so I have created life from nothing! All of you, created to serve and worship me, head my commands. I have given you knowledge of what lies within the Sovereign's heart. Find it… Destroy it… LEAVE BUT SHREDS OF ITS MEMORY!"

All of the creatures began to laugh hysterically in unison and flew away across the planet, "Now behold, as everything you know ends…" Rubu laughed as his creatures scattered quickly across the planet.

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End Chapter

Well this chapter certainly had a lot of tone variation… I decided on this chapter that I wanted to try out a few more literary devices in the fight scene rather than making it longer. Don't worry there is still plenty of fight to come, we're just barely scratching the surface right now. Hope everyone enjoyed psycho godling Rubu. He was fun to write. Leave me some reviews!

Oh, and one more ad for my twitter page. Twitter dot com slash revstuff. I don't have much yet but I'll be listing my non-ff dot net stuff there as I work on it also.

'Till next time everyone!


	30. Rip Current

I was going over the last chapter again and man… I didn't realize while I was writing him that Rubu just sounds trippin crazy! Whew… I like that… Gives him that unpredictable holy $#!T factor. Well let's get this chapter started then. I'm in a sacrificial mood, so let's see what happens…

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Chapter 29: Rip Current

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Gohan's jaw refused to shut as he saw Rubu's creations jittering about. No two creatures looked alike; they varied from their colors to their textures to their height and weight.

"Behold the new life… is it not glorious?" Rubu chuckled to himself as he stroked one under the chin causing it to giggle gleefully. "Now oh precious life… carry forth my bidding and break the Sovereign's frail heart!"

Gohan's eyes widened as memories of the Cell Games came rushing back to the front of his mind. He cursed under his breath knowing that was the very reason Rubu was doing this. He saw in his mind how much that had angered him before.

Rubu floated closer to over Gohan, "Ah the stench of infidels grows stronger. The execrated insects now prepare to depart their putrid nest of excrement to infect new life with their irreverence. Before their extinction befalls from my hands I will honor the wicked with tutelage in the concepts of eternity."

On the surface, Kibito had finished healing Goku again, "Thanks Kibito, but we need to hurry and get back up there, Gohan can't hold him off for…"

Rubu appeared instantaneously on the surface.

Phips's eyes popped open wide as he waved his arms and began shouting, "The destroyer is manifest!"

"Oh no…" The Supreme Kai and Kibito took a step back keeping Videl and Hercule behind them as Rubu eyed over all those present.

"NOW!" Vegeta charged into Rubu, his fists glowing with massively charged power. As Vegeta's swift strike approached Rubu from behind, the immortal being bent forward at a ninety degree angle dodging the attack without trying.

Goku dashed in from in front with a strong forward kick to which Rubu's torso bent backward a hundred and eighty degrees to dodge.

The two saiyans lunged at the same time as Rubu straightened himself upright. An extra set of arms burst from under Rubu's normal set and caught the saiyans punches with two hands on each fist. A sinister grin broke across Rubu's calm face moments before he rapidly spun the two older saiyans by their arms and tossed them into the air.

Before Goku could regain control of his momentum, Rubu appeared in front of him and began beating him down with all four arms. Goku couldn't keep up with the onslaught of approaching punches, they came in so quickly the spreading pain across his body became seamless. Two elbows struck the top of Goku's body driving him to the ground before he dashed across the battlefield and struck Vegeta with the same treatment. Vegeta opened one eye as Rubu approached and tried cutting off the approaching attack with a quick kick. Rubu easily caught Vegeta's extended leg and drove his elbow into the side of Vegeta's knee cap breaking the bone sideways. Vegeta screamed from the horrible mangling of his leg but was silenced by many more punches to the face and torso.

Rubu ended his attack by grabbing Vegeta's long hair and tossing him to the ground by Goku. The entire attack took place faster than the Supreme Kai could turn to grab the Satan's to try and run.

Rubu touched down on the ground between the present warriors, "I invite you all to bear witness to the creation of my new court… Please… do stay a while!" Rubu began harnessing cosmic energies into his hand.

Phips's eyes widened as he pointed his own hand to the ground.

"RIFT FREEZE!" Ru slammed his fist on the ground and a wave of grey overtook all the color in the area as Goku and the others faded in the haze and became as still as statues. Rubu stood back, his own body contrasting as the only physical object radiating color in the strange blur of time and space, "The era of the Sovereignty now ends. Remain and observe their destruction!" With no further movement from the trapped Z Fighters, Rubu ascended the sky back to Gohan's imprisonment.

Gohan pulled as hard as he could against the cross like cage which held him still. Despite his bruised self, he felt as though one side was starting to bend. A slap struck Gohan across the face unexpectedly causing him to bite into his tongue and blood splashed from his mouth. "It's fruitless Sovereign boy…"

While gritting his teeth, Gohan stared Rubu down; supple defiance shone from his face, "This is far from over…"

"You're absolutely right, would you care to observe the true ending?" Gohan's anger built further as Rubu gathered a mystic power between his hands and created an orb of light. "Through this sphere you may see what life sees. Watch as life breaks free of your crude limitations and finds the treasures you so desperately hide."

The strange creatures Rubu called life spread across the planet. People screamed in fright as they appeared from dark corners, from under manholes, from within their refrigerators. They left the normal populace alone focused only in expanded their search. Life frantically combed the planet, up atop the tallest mountains, some even at the bottom of the oceans.

"RAAAHHHH!" A little orange blob called as it found a tall pole that extended upward toward the sky.

"Oh no…" Dende gripped his staff fearfully, "They know where we are!"

Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin took defensive positions at the edge of the lookout, "This is not good!" Krillin whined as Eighteen positioned herself directly behind the humans.

From below, a dozen of the life creatures began converging on the tower flying upward toward the lookout. The creatures flew past the tower and gazed over the sight like predator falcons ready to swoop in on field mice.

"This is how your story ends…" Rubu grinned as Gohan watched helpless from his restraints.

The creatures laughed hysterically as the charged down from the sky. Tien was the first to jump at the approaching monsters. His fist impacted one of the leaders and sent rolling back into the crowd, "DODONPA!" He shouted blasting at another.

One of the beasts appeared in front of Tien's target to launch a surprise attack when Yamcha countered from the side of the opposing monster, "WOLF FANG FIST!" With several good hits Yamcha pulled the creature off of Tien.

Krillin burst into the sky from below with a quick roll forward he extended his fist to strike at one of the creatures when two appeared from either side of him and punched him in the stomach. His original target then rolled forward and kicked him across the jaw sending him tumbling back to the lookout, "That's just not fair…" Krillin grumbled as he hit the ground.

The human Z Fighters weren't able to keep the attention of all of the creatures and some of them began making their way around the lookout. Before they reached the door to the temple Eighteen charged at them with energy gathered in her hand, "POWER BLITZ!" She shocked one in the face and tried fighting another one hand to hand.

More of the life creatures were still arriving at the lookout and ganged up on Tien. Five of them at once began bashing the three eyed fighter back and forth, "Mister Tien!" Chiaotzu ran out from the temple to help his friend hoping to pull at least one monster off of him. Chiaotzu fired a light wave strong enough to singe the creature, but it quickly turned around and punched Chiaotzu to the ground.

"Man… they're tougher than they look!" Yamcha growled as one jabbed a knee into his back smashing his face into the lookout's tile floor.

"We have to help them!" Goten and Trunks watched through a window from a room their family was hidden in.

"Sweetie you can't!" Chichi grabbed Goten and tried pulling him away from the window.

Goten pushed his mother's arm away from him, "Gohan told me I need to protect you, and I promised I would!"

Chichi sank to her knees and wrapped her arms around Goten, "Oh my baby… Gohan… Gohan died protecting all of us… I wouldn't be able to bear it if something happened to you too…"

Goten squeezed his eyes shut; he knew his mom was hurting in the inside, "I have to do this mom… If I don't then everyone's gonna die! You have to let me do this."

"Just like your brother…" Chichi let go and stood up wiping the tears from her face. Goten watched anxiously for his mother's reaction, "You go… Goten… Go and BEAT THE LIVING SNOT OUT OF THOSE THINGS!"

"Yeah!" Goten clenched his fists excitedly as he powered up. In a flash of light Goten's hair spiked and turned golden.

Trunks ran over to stand by his friend. He looked over to his mother who gave him a confident grin and a nod. Trunks nodded back and powered up as well, "Let's do it Goten!"

"Right!" The two small super saiyans burst out of the room crashing through the front doors of the temple. The eyes bugged out of several creatures that were standing on the surface of the lookout as they were unprepared for the sudden rush of young demi-saiyans. The life creatures were bowled over by the impact and rolled off the side of the lookout.

Another eight brutes noticed the newcomers of the battle and surrounded the young warriors, "Goten, grab on!" Trunks held his arm out which Goten latched onto. Trunks began spinning in circles flinging Goten around at arm's length. The two spun faster as the creature's approached. One got too close and was kicked by Goten during the rapid spin. Once Trunks had built up enough momentum, he let go of Goten, flinging him into the group of creatures.

Goten flew into a red monster head first, striking it in the torso. Goten flipped off the creature still spinning and kicked two of the other nearby enemies. Trunks skid to a halt loading his knee down like a spring before kicking off into a creature in front of him. His knee made contact with a chin and he kicked off the fiend's face, back flipped through the air, and landed back to back with Goten.

The two boys stared down the lines of monsters forming around them. In sync the two lowered their stances and broke into the fray. Multiple flurries of punches and kicks struck the beasts that stood in their way.

"Would you look at that…" Krillin grinned watching the two boys tear through the opposition. Images of Goku and Vegeta fighting on their side flashed through his mind, "We can do this guys come on!" The rest of the fighters upped the ante as well and fought on as hard as they could.

A smile worked its way onto Gohan's face as he saw his friends holding their own against their many foes.

"What pathetic hollow little insects you harbor…" Rubu watched through the eyes of his creations as the Z Fighters appeared to have the upper hand on the lookout, "They actually believe they can hold their own against my new life, such a foolish gesture."

Gohan kept a close eye on Rubu, concerned he was about to do something, "You're about to lose a few lives…"

"Nonsense you Sovereign hypocrite," Rubu chuckled darkly as he gazed into his field of energy, "Because this life has been awaiting my command to unleash its full power!" Gohan grit his teeth as the light in Rubu's hands intensified.

Tien pounded down on a green creature pummeling it into the ground. Its equilibrium was thrown off by the hard blows and was unprepared for the kick Tien delivered which knocked it completely off the lookout. Several other of Rubu's life monsters surrounded Tien from behind. Their advantage didn't last long as Tien split into a multi form and surrounded them back quickly engaging each of them individually.

Krillin watched Tien fighting off several creatures as the same time, "We can do this!" Krillin smiled as he dashed into another of the small beasts.

As Krillin approached the purple creature, its eyes began to glow. Just as Krillin's fist extended from above, it flipped, kicking Krillin in the face and slinging him across the lookout with its elbow as it completed its mid air spin.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Krillin grumbled as he slid across the smooth stone tiles.

"Krillin!" Yamcha tried jumping in to help his friend but was ambushed by two other life beings. One delivered a kick to the side of his neck at the same time the other punched him in the stomach. Yamcha's pupils dilated from the sudden pain. An energy wave from a brown creature finished it by blasting him into a heap by Krillin.

Tien lunged forward with a fierce punch, but his target caught the attack and smiled devilishly at him, "What the… They're suddenly stronger…"

Goten and Trunks stood side by side as they dashed toward one of the monsters beating up on Krillin. Goten's left fist extended forward at equal length with Trunks' right. The double punch knocked the monster in the center of its forehead rolling it back several feet before it flipped itself upright.

"It's up already? What happened?" Trunks whined.

Two similar fiends flew up single file from behind the one they had attacked. The first one kicked Trunks across the face sending him soaring across the ground, "TRUNKS!" Goten called a split moment before the second one reached him and rammed its knee into Goten's stomach, "OWWW!" Goten screamed as a fist contacted his face and drove him into the solid floor.

"No!" Tien saw the kids taking hits and tried to swoop in to their defense. Fifteen creatures appeared around him and laughed menacingly. Sparks built up around Tien as he took the sky flying rapidly above his attackers. The monsters all flew up in pursuit of him as he held his hands in front of him in a triangular position and concentrated on the mass of brutes.

"NEO," Tien made sure he had the entire group in his sights, "TRIBEAM HA!" A massive wave of energy broke free of Tien's hands and knocked the horde of beasts back down to the lookout. "HA!" A second beam followed keeping the group pinned to the ground, the lookout buckled under the pressure of the attack.

As Tien began claiming control over his pinned captives, several other brutes decelerated from super speed right beside him. With barely any time to react, Tien held a finger out to the approaching monster, "DODONPA!" Others flew at him from all around at similar speeds, "DODONPA! DODONPA! DODONPA!" He blasted them all back as they approached. They weren't being pushed back far and the group below was beginning to recover.

Tien grit his teeth and clasped his hands together extending his forefingers out. An intense energy began crackling at the tip where his extended fingers connected together, "SHOTTO DODANPA GAN!" A massive blast shot forth from Tien's fingers. The air formed a vortex around the blast refracting particles of light creating a parallax as the blast resounded through the sky. With a force and sound far greater than a sonic boom the blast separated into many streams of power which hurdled towards many of the nearby monsters. Blinded by the light, the brutes were unable to dodge before the energy impacted them. Howls of pain were heard over the explosion as the attack made almost all of its marks.

Air molecules were boiling from the intensity of the blast and gave off great clouds of smoke at the position of each strike. Tien was breathing hard trying to catch his breath after expending so much of his energy. The veins atop his head pulsated from the stress of his exertion.

"Tien!" Chiaotzu yelled from the lookout fearing his friend may have over did it.

Tien's eyes remained focused on the mounds of smoke as they began to blow away. His senses were dulled and couldn't accurately feel for energy within them. Maniacal laughs was all the answer he needed as the creatures bounded from the smoke all appearing relatively unscathed save for some singing.

"No… It's not enough… damn…" The creatures lifted off and drove upward toward Tien.

Trunks took a head butt to the torso and was knocked off his feet again. "Darn it! Fight fair!" Trunks charged up a blast in his left hand but couldn't launch it before two other creatures latched onto him from behind and held him still for two others to punch him in the stomach.

"TRUNKS!" Goten raced over but a brute landed on his head and drove his face into the ground. His head scraped across the surface of the lookout leaving a tread skid mark as he ground to a halt. Another beast landed beside Goten, held out its hands and blasted the ground where Goten was implanted.

The dust settled leaving Goten looking charred and embedded deeply in the tile. The creatures laughed and turned their attention to the temple itself and began their approach.

Gohan squeezed his eyes shut already feeling his blood boil from witnessing the carnage being done to his loved ones.

"The time draws near…" Rubu chuckled, "Now Sovereign, know my pain! This is the end of all you hold dear!"

Gohan's eyes squeezed tighter and his teeth were almost grinding, "Time is almost up…" Gohan mumbled under his breath, "Goten…"

From his prone position on the ground, Goten's fingers twitched slightly. A moment went by and Goten's small hand gripped the stone below him, "Get up Goten!" he heard in his mind.

"B… Brother…?" Goten forced his eyes to open and looked up. He found himself surrounded by complete darkness, but Gohan was kneeling in front of him looking as bright as day.

"You need to get up Goten, the others need you," Gohan spoke warmly.

"Gohan… I… I can't… they're a lot stronger than I am… and there's so many of them…" Goten closed his eyes and lowered his head again.

Gohan continued to speak softly to his little brother, "That's no way to talk Goten, what you need right now is to believe. You're not in this alone Goten, but right now mom and everyone, they're all in big trouble if you don't do something. Everyone is here for you, they've always been here for you… and this time I'm here for you too…"

Goten opened his eyes and looked up at Gohan again, "I… I'll do my best…" Goten swallowed hard and started pushing himself to his feet.

"And as long as you do that, there's no way that you'll lose!" Gohan held a hand out to his brother. Goten took the proffered hand to pull himself back to his feet. The prism Goten placed around his neck began to glow brightly as the dark haze in his mind vanished and he found himself once again atop the lookout.

The monster's forward march halted as they noticed the boy standing across the lookout platform. His hair wafted through the wind brought about by his own energy. His aura gave off a strong white presence.

The first of the beasts dashed across the site on all four limbs at incredible speed toward the defiant child. Just as it entered striking distance Goten turned around with his fist extended out in front of him. Looking out the window of the temple, Chichi gasped as she briefly saw the ghostly image of her eldest son envelope Goten and strike monster alongside of him. The blue monster's face shone an emotion of confusion for the brief moment between the delivery of the blow and the complete annihilation of its body.

Goten stood confident in front of the small army of hellish beasts as they angrily charged towards him. With new found speed and power Goten dodged the incoming attacks and massacred the oncoming monsters with but one or two blows each.

Trunks couldn't close his mouth as he saw Goten fight with a fervor he'd never before seen his best friend use.

"LEAVE EVERYONE ALONE!" Goten shouted as he shot himself like a canon ball into several creatures. He uncurled himself and saw a large mass of monsters gathering up in the sky. They were gathering energy and combining it all in the center between them. The focal point of the energy became large enough to engulf the entire lookout in a single blast.

Goten stood in front of the enormous energy, "I won't let you do it!" Goten clasped his hands at his side, "KAMEHAME…" The energy in the sky opened releasing the blast toward the lookout, "HAAA!" Goten fired back and the two beams met in the center. The force of the collision blew plants and debris clear off the lookout.

The power struggle reached a stalemate in the sky above the lookout. Goten was too focused on the beam to notice another of the brutes dashing up to him from the side. The creature entered Goten's line of sight in mid tackle. Trunks flew in at super speed kicking the monster away from Goten, "DO IT!"

Goten nodded, "YEAH!" The prism around Goten's neck changed color and gave off a brilliant golden light. Goten's eyes changed color to match the prism as his beam intensified in power and size and began devouring through the opposing attack. The creatures in the sky had no time to react as their beam was eaten away by the Kamehameha and their bodies as well disintegrated away.

"This is most displeasing…" Rubu's link to his life beings was severed as the last of them was killed. "My wrath will not be gentle on them…"

"You'll never get the chance!" Gohan leaned back as far as he could from his cage, "DO IT!"

"MAKANKOSAPPO!" The corkscrew beam burst through Gohan's binds only millimeters in front of his face finally releasing his arms from the unique metal.

"Green abomination! I will condemn you to far worse fates than hell for interfering again! You'd have been far better off remaining among the deceased!" Rubu cursed at the regenerated Piccolo. His temper quickly quelled however and a smirk returned to his face, "The fact remains that all your efforts are still for naught. Neither of you have the power to defy absolute truth!"

Piccolo flew in close to Gohan, "You're still hurt and we don't have any more senzu beans."

"We'll have to make do without them." Gohan took in a deep breath, "You did a good job Goten, now please share with me your spirit, your energy, your vigor… I'm really going to need some right now…"

Gohan's tail stiffened as he began powering up further, "You've gone too far Rubu… You threatened the people I care about… there's no more going back for you… one way or another, I'M TAKING YOU DOWN!"

Rubu crossed his arms and grinned smugly, "Bring it!"

Gohan charged once again toward the multi dimensional titan.

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End Chapter

I hope I did Tien justice. He really is an awesome character. Revelations are on the horizon and the story could be taking a turn in the complex direction pretty quickly, so I hope everyone's been paying attention. Oh I can't wait!

Leave me some reviews, ask some questions, and get ready for a bumpy ride!

'Till next time!


	31. Will of Steel

Wow here we are at chapter 30… The last time I wrote a story that was this long… I think it took two years to get there. But the support you guys give me around here really just keeps pushing me forward to meet my Friday deadline every week. It's really awesome so thanks everyone! We've still got a good run left to this story so hang on and I hope you all continue to enjoy it!

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Chapter 30: Will of Steel

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"Oh my baby, you're alive! You were great out there, and you're safe!" Chichi screamed through her tears as she held Goten against her tight enough for his face to start turning blue.

She kissed him repeatedly on his head causing him to blush and push away a bit, "Moooom…" he whined.

Trunks snickered to himself as he watched his friend being babied. Bulma noticed the smug look on Trunks's face and decided to give him heck for it, "Oh Trunks, you were great out there too! Mommy was so worried, come here!"

Trunks's expression immediately fell as he tried to keep himself from getting caught in the smothering embrace, "It's okay mom, I love you too, just love me from over there a bit."

The rest of the Z-Fighters laughed at the family antics. Even Marin came ran over to her mom and dad, "That was great I love you mommy!"

Eighteen smiled and picked up her daughter, holding her high, "Hey, what about me?" Krillin moaned.

"You disappeared after a while, but I love you too daddy!" Marin leaned over and hugged her dad's head.

Krillin kissed his daughter and then walked away grumbling about disappearing because he was the one getting his butt whooped.

Everyone was feeling quite proud of themselves for defending the temple, however Dende stood at the edge of the lookout still gazing off toward the real battle, "This is only the beginning…" he whispered to himself.

Goten felt a vibration against his skin and pulled out the prism amulet Gohan gave him. It was giving off a faint glow and a low hum. Goten focused on it for a moment and felt for his brother's energy far off fighting a stronger power, "Gohan…"

Piccolo was unable to dodge as Rubu's fist impacted his face with such force this body felt as though it were molding around the fist that struck him. He completely lost control of his flight and was flung toward the ground.

"No Piccolo!" Gohan yelled before redoubling his efforts on Rubu.

Gohan dashed into to the fray targeting any spot on Rubu's body that appeared to be open. Every punch Gohan threw seemed to be effortlessly blocked as Rubu seemed to hardly even move while countering Gohan's offensive.

"You're starting to bore me, child!" Rubu backhanded Gohan across the face and kicked him in the stomach sending him spinning off to the side.

A flash of light and a quick popping sound echoed a short distance across the lower plains of the battle field as Phips pushed himself back into normal dimensional space. He brushed the sweat from his brow thankful that he had been able to rift himself out of the way of Rubu's attack only an instant before it hit. Rubu's speed didn't give him the time to save any of the others though.

He looked up and noticed the battle still taking place above. Around him Goku and the others, even the Supreme Kai himself, were trapped, frozen in some kind of rift distortion field. He grit his teeth as he ran over to them.

Phips scratched his head as he tried to think of a way to open the field up and release the saiyans. Phips held his palms open to the rift, "Open Sezame!" The rift visibly rippled as Phips tried manipulating the phase rift with his own powers. After a moment Phips was blown back away from the rift, the power Rubu had used to create the field was too strong for Phips to counter. Phips growled as he waddled back over to the field and kicked it. His foot bounced off the rift and pain shot through the nerves up his leg as he started bouncing on his other foot holding his now sore toes.

After getting over the pain with only minor swelling, Phips took a look again over the field and tried to think of something. The sound of something quickly descending through the atmosphere caught his attention and he looked up in time to see Piccolo inches above him before impact and the two were driven into the ground.

Phips crawled out from under Piccolo and started stumbling around while gripping onto his head, "And so I ask the stars in the sky… why can't I have you back in my life?" Phips shook his head to clear the fuzziness and looked back over to Piccolo's unconscious form, "Someone should really put up a sign… beware of falling nameks… or something…"

A deep gurgle escaped from Piccolo's throat, "Oh stop being such a baby!" Phips shuddered as the sounds of the battle above became fiercer. He knew things weren't looking good with Goku and Vegeta frozen in time, and Piccolo currently out of the match.

"We need… we need…" Phips turned from side to side looking frantically for a way to help Gohan. He walked across the battle field feeling like he was missing something, "Gotta be something… we need… oh we need… power… we need…" Phips tripped and fell, looking to his feet he noticed he stepped in some gum looking substance that had stuck his shoe to the ground. He looked around and noticed there were little piles of pink mush all over the plains, "We need… a pink tubby mega power!" He peeled the gunk off of his shoe and shook it, "Come on, pull yourself together man!"

The area across the ground was almost aglow with energy emitting from the mounds of putty scattered about. For some reason though, they weren't recombining. Phips started poking the mush, "Why… won't… you… cooperate?" There was still no reaction from the puffy particles.

Phips sat down in front of the blob and crossed his legs as he thought out loud, "I don't know anything about gummy Buus…" he prodded his temple for a moment until his thoughts collected and his eyes widened in realization, "But I know someone who does!"

Rubu's knee impacted Gohan's stomach. The boy's eyes widened as blood was thrown from his mouth. Gohan wasn't still for long, his eyes quickly refocused and he vanished off of Rubu's elbow appearing quickly with his leg extended out to kick the side of Rubu's head. Rubu ducked out of the way and placed a hand against Gohan's torso before firing off a large energy blast. Gohan shielded himself and rode the blast a short distance before rolling off the wave and reaffirming his stance against Rubu, "I won't let you win…"

Rubu crossed his arms and laughed, "What chance has a wretch such as you?"

"If Goten and the others were able to fight off your _Life_ as you put it… then I'm definitely going to do my part and take you down," sparks jolted from Gohan's clenched fists as he summoned forth all his energies.

"Do you really think their little victory matters?" Rubu snickered as he watched Gohan attempt to draw more power, "Life was but the beginning, a speck of dust which will culminate into a far grander whole over time. Their defeat attests to nothing. I breathed life into nothing. I gave life meaning. And it was fully within my potential to give life the means to overcome the obstacles before it, I simply chose not to as inevitably greater life will follow."

"You're sick… and I've had enough of you!" Gohan burst forward colliding with Rubu head on. The two glared at each other for a moment before breaking apart and charging to each other again. The two broke through the sky, shattering light and sound with their clashes. Back and forth they collided with each other, the force of each blow stripped rocks from the ground a thousand feet below.

Gohan forced a great deal of power into his fist and launched forward at Rubu. He didn't realize until it was too late that he was driving toward an after image.

"You're mine!" Rubu appeared behind Gohan struck him from behind. Gohan took the attack without any defenses up and was flung forward. Before Gohan moved even a foot from the impact, Rubu appeared in front of him and bashed him back the other way. He appeared behind Gohan and attacked again. The assault became a great blur as Gohan only felt his body being batted back and forth faster than he could register the attacks landing, "The end…" Rubu appeared above Gohan with a great ball of energy gathered in his hand and he threw it. All the light in the sky seemed to be pulled into one small spot where the ball and Gohan made contact. The world became silent for a moment when a light like a sudden dawn flashed across the sky and an explosion rocked the earth.

Gohan was thrown from the explosion; his body ascended higher into the sky until the earth's gravity slowed his ascent. He experienced weightlessness for a moment and then felt his body being supported by his hair. He opened an eye and saw Rubu glowering down at him.

"Tell me Sovereign… how does it feel?" Rubu spat.

Gohan took in a few deep breaths. He was tired and his body ached so much he could barely move, "Wh…"

Rubu laughed at Gohan's defenselessness, "How does it feel to know that now everyone dies and there is nothing you can do but watch? How does it feel knowing you will have to spend the rest of eternity knowing you failed?"

Gohan's breath hitched and his eyes widened, "That… won't…"

"That's right… and let's see if that Kai of yours so much as graces you with apology!" Rubu grinned and held Gohan's face closer to his own, "Do stay for a while, there is much left to behold!"

Rubu dropped Gohan and let him fall back to earth. Gohan's mind reeled from what Rubu had just said.

In his mind's eye he saw his family, his mom, dad, and Goten was there too, at the house in the mountains all enjoying themselves and smiling and laughing.

The tattered remains of his clothes flapped freely in the wind as he descended faster and faster through the atmosphere.

The Briefs appeared in front of him also, Bulma and Vegeta were watching Trunks and Bra play in the big field under one of the Capsule Corp domes; they all looked so happy.

As he fell, the force of the air finally pulled away the last shreds of his shirt; Gohan was bruised and bloody all across his torso.

He saw the rest of his friends on Master Roshi's island and inside Kame House. Krillin and Eighteen were playing with Marin while Yamcha and Roshi were reclined in the back flipping through dirty magazines.

There were so many idyllic images and memories playing through Gohan's mind. For a minute he thought maybe it was his own life flashing before his eyes. All at once all the smiles faded, all the laughing stopped, and all the joy disappeared. A bright light filled the air and blasted away everyone. Screams of pain and blood flooded across everything.

Gohan's eyes snapped open, "NOO!" Gohan shouted as the ground approached.

Rubu turned and began to float away when a thunderous clash caught his attention. Through the clouds below him an immense light was gathering. The sky erupted in power and lightning. The clouds expanded as if a force below was pushing them upward. Finally the clouds were dispersed into steam as a great aura pushed its way through them. Gohan tore the sky shooting straight up, his aura brighter than Rubu had seen it before.

Gohan's eyes locked onto Rubu. He drew each breath through clenched teeth as his anger was becoming overwhelming.

"If you so demand to be put down again…" Rubu vanished into super speed, burst through the air toward Gohan extending his foot out with the intent to finish the boy quickly this time. Rubu's leg swung about in position to strike the side of Gohan's head.

The moment before impact Gohan's arm moved up into a blocking position and stopped Rubu's kick without so much as a budge from the impact, "What…?"

Goten and the others gathered around the glowing prism in Goten's hands. Gohan filled their minds and hearts as they concentrated their energies into back into the prism.

"Come on brother… do it!" Goten scrunched his eyes tight and prayed.

Gohan grit his teeth tighter and growled as he slowly pushed Rubu's leg away from him. Rubu kicked off Gohan's arm and spun around to attack from the other side when Gohan charged into the attack and punched Rubu in the face. Rubu tumbled backward but quickly regained control. As he turned to get Gohan back in his sight he realized the boy was close to striking him again. Rubu powered up and flew out of the way, dodging just moments before Gohan's fist would have impaled his abdomen.

Gohan didn't stop for even a moment and immediately turned around and gathered energy to his hands, "KA… ME… HA… ME… HAAAA!" An enormous blue beam tore through the upper atmosphere toward Rubu.

"You dare?" Rubu held out both hands and tried to catch the beam. The beam pushed Rubu back. Energy coursed through Rubu's hands as he tried to take control of the power struggle.

"HYPER KAIOKEN!" Red and gold mixed through Gohan's enormous blast of energy. Rubu found himself unable to hold back the power being thrown at him. His eyes widened as he moved his arms into position to shield himself as he was overtaken by the blast.

The beam drove away from the earth, deep into space before exploding into a massive shockwave of light.

As the light settled Rubu slowly moved his arms down from his defense. His body stung, and his hands were singed, "That boy… hurt me…" the air around Rubu began to boil as heat escaped the pores of Rubu's scales, "YOU DARE HURT A GOD?"

Gohan remained poised with his hands pointed at Rubu, "This ends here…"

Phips combed over the nearby area looking for something, "Aha!" Alone and discarded at the far end of the battle field was an energy prison with a certain wizard still banging against the ethereal walls, "I need to borrow you for a minute!" Phips kicked the energy shield and bounced it across the plains like a balloon.

Babidi tumbled around inside the field, "I demand you release me from accursed trick this instant!"

"Could you at least ask nicely?" Phips bounced the energy through the air again.

"NO!" Babidi cursed as he continued to roll from wall to wall.

"No wonder you have no friends…" Phips pushed the energy prison back into the air and kept running with it.

"Of all the outrageous…" Babidi grumbled.

"Well if you're going to be stuck in that thing forever I'm going to have call you something…" Phips thought for a moment as he stopped his shield bouncing and just started rolling it forward.

"Is there anyone else I can talk to?" Babidi groaned.

"Bubble Zard!" Phips grinned as he kicked the shield into the air again, "You're a wizard inside a bubble, what do you think?"

"I think you should die…" Babdi crossed his arms and just let himself roll without struggling now.

Phips patted the shield to a stop, "You know things would go a lot better for both of us if you would just play nice."

With a sigh Babidi finally looked up at Phips with his head point down, "Will you… please… let me out of here?"

"See that wasn't so hard!" Phips pulled out a needle from his pocket, "Alright now I would stand back if I were you."

"I'm in a two foot by two foot box! Where exactly do you suggest I stand back to?" Babidi complained.

"Point taken," Phips jabbed the shield with his pin. The shield exploded in a shockwave of light and left the two smaller beings standing in the center looking a little singed, "No pun was intended really…" Phips mentioned as he coughed out a bit of smoke.

"I really… REALLY… hate you…" Babidi brushed the soot from his robe.

"Yeah ain't I a stinker? Anyway we need your help!" Phips turned and grabbed Babidi by the wrist before dragging him a little further over the rocks.

Babidi pulled against Phips' grip as he was dragged, "And just why should I help you?"

"Because you want to rule the universe. And if you don't do something now then your ex-boss is going to beat you to the punch and probably won't even give you a raise for all your long time efforts." Phips pointed up where the battle was still taking place.

Babidi grumbled, "What can I do against him? His power is enormous and he absorbed my Majin Buu into his being."

"What if I told you he didn't get all the Buu?" Phips motioned to the ground which was still littered with small patches of pink gunk.

Gohan tried to block as more attacks were thrown his way. Rubu was firing off hundreds of powerful beams and Gohan found himself unable to dodge them all. His second wind was fading, but Rubu was still going.

Rubu appeared in front of Gohan and drove his fist into Gohan's stomach. Without stopping, he grabbed onto Gohan's hair and smashed the boy's face against his knee. "You dare defy me? My word is absolute… I am the new law, and my words you shall heed!" Rubu lifted Gohan by the hair again and punched him across the face.

Gohan was winded, but his determination refused to fade. He turned slowly to give Rubu as defiant a glare as he could.

"INSOLENT!" Rubu moved in to attack Gohan again.

"PAPARAPAPA!" Both warriors in the sky halted to the sound of the sound of the familiar chant.

"What is…" The air trembled violently as if something huge was coming.

Both fighters looked to the side as a deep voice rattled their ears, "BUUUUUUU!" In a strangely mystifying sight, the large Majin Buu was rising up to their level and growing. His mass increased many times over as he grew into a gigantic version of his old self.

"That meddling wizard… you shouldn't have been able to reconstitute!" Rubu clenched his fists as the giant Buu approached.

"Big Buu fight back now!" The large creature yelled as it punched toward Rubu. Buu's fist was now the size of Rubu's entire body. With the energy from Rubu's last attack on him and Babidi's power up in place, Majin Buu struck Rubu with a tremendous force and sent him skipping across the sky.

Rubu shook himself off quickly and dashed back into Majin Buu and began to mercilessly punching him in the belly. For the most part Majin Buu looked to be absorbing the attacks and not taking too much actual damage.

Gohan watched the two fight with a confused look on his face. A rift opened up beside Gohan and Phips leaned out of thin air from it, "Hey come here!" Phips grabbed Gohan's wrist and pulled him through the rift.

The two appeared on the ground by Goku and the others who were still frozen in space. Babidi stood on a hill not too far off making fighting motions, "That's it Buu, show him that fat is there for a reason! Now punch left! Right! Body slam!"

Phips snapped his fingers in front of Gohan's face, "Yo, over here for a second, universe in peril, it'd be nice to save it before it's too late wouldn't you agree?"

"Alright, what's the plan?" Gohan focused.

Phips nodded and pointed to the others, "Rubu sealed them away in a rift lock and I don't have enough power to open it up, can I borrow some of yours?"

Gohan shook his head still not sure how Phips was always so light and carefree about every situation, "Yeah, let's do it!"

"Just be sure and focus, I don't you electrocuting me like last time," Phips assumed his stance as Gohan placed his hand on Phips' back. He channeled his energy into Phips who used it to power up his phase rift powers.

In the sky, Rubu continued to pummel onto Majin Buu. Majin Buu retained his ability to return the power focused onto him back onto Rubu. Rubu dodged most of the gigantic Buu's attacks, and Majin Buu also appeared to be taking more damage than he could absorb from Rubu's powerful strikes.

"Three to the left… Fourteen to the right…" Phips fed his energies into the seal.

"Can you just please hurry?" Gohan scolded Phips as he sensed Buu wasn't going to be able to distract Rubu for much longer.

"This takes precise work; I'd like to see you do it without bumping into a boundary of space time and knocking down the walls of reality!" Gohan sighed and just concentrated on feeding Phips more energy.

After another moment, color began to return to those inside the field, "Twenty two to the left, BINGO!" The seal shattered and everyone inside stared confused as the sudden passage of time.

"What in the heck was that?" Hercule mumbled as all he noticed was Rubu was no longer in front of them and the sun had moved a bit across the sky.

"Fill you in later, Kibi-chan you're needed over here!" Phips called the large guard of the Kais to him.

Kibito's eye twitched at the "Kibi-chan" remark but followed as asked.

Rubu continued to abuse the overgrown Majin Buu like a soft punching bag, "Inferior creaton, your time to walk amongst the living has ended!" Rubu held a hand above his head, created a great ball of energy and threw it at the tiring Buu.

Another blast intercepted the ball and knocked it off course saving Buu's life, "WHAT NOW?" Rubu turned looking more infuriated.

Gohan, Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo all floated in close to Rubu, wounds healed and ready for another bout.

Majin Buu saw the warriors returned and a smile crossed his chubby face, "Now good guys are many!"

"Like scourge and roaches you continue to crawl into the blazes from the muck of your existence." Rubu's fist shook violently, "My mercy has exhausted! Now face my unabated wrath!"

"Get off your high horse, you're nowhere near infinite as you think you are," Gohan flared his ki calling forth his remaining powers. Goku, Vegeta and Piccolo followed suit giving off a great celestial like light as they stood in defiance of their enemy.

Piccolo closed in the space to Gohan, "He's still incredibly powerful."

Gohan nodded, "But he's not invulnerable, we just have to keep pushing…" Gohan's ki flashed brighter, "Come on, this is it!"

The four of them charged at Rubu from one side as the gigantic Buu blocked Rubu from the other. Rubu poised himself in preparation to counter. Each warrior grew determined not to give in the least during this critical point in the battle.

* * *

End Chapter

Is the power of everyone combined enough to possibly turn the tides of battle and take down the titan Rubu? Find out on the next exciting episode of Dragon Ball ZAT!

Alright, sorry I couldn't help it… I always wanted to say that… And yes I know I'm getting really horrible with the cliffhangers. It's in my nature, I can't help it. Anyway, I was actually glad to have a little more fun with Phips finally. I haven't gotten to do that for a little while now. I hope that was fun for everyone else too.

Please drop a comment off, and I hope you come back again next week!


	32. Divine Revelation

First off I wanted to say that technically the first part of this chapter should have been the end to the last chapter. I got tired last week so I posted the chapter before I got to the point that I wanted to be, so I know there were more errors than usual and it was starting to look weird. Today we get back to the actual story though! Yes we still have one in there somewhere… wow! Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday. I actually don't get today off so review this chapter when you're done reading it so it will go to my cell phone and cheer me up while I sulk at work! Thanks everyone!

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Chapter 31: Divine Revelation

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Goku's leg swung in from the right as Vegeta's fist flew in from the left. Rubu forced his arms out and expelled his energy throwing the two saiyans off of him. Gohan flew in from in front and challenged Rubu directly locking fists with the warrior. Rubu held Gohan off with one arm and lifted the other above his head to catch large fist coming down at him from behind.

Rubu watched as the attacks from his opponents came at him in slow motion from his perspective. It wasn't difficult to for him to block the attacks, but something was starting to bother him. Gohan flipped away from Rubu as Piccolo flew up from the other end and at the same moment they both gathered a purple and red energy above their heads, "MASENKO HA!" A spherical shield of energy formed across Rubu's body creating a barrier that the approaching beams collided with.

A violent spark ran across Rubu's shield as the glow brightened and it began to grow in size. Goku and Vegeta both flew back into the fray with energy building in both their hands. Once in range the two fired off considerable sized energy waves which struck the expanding shield and slowed its growth.

"They're… challenging me…" Rubu grit his teeth and pushed harder on expanding his energy shield.

"BUUU!" A fifth energy wave collided with his shield, pink in color, as Majin Buu also joined in the power struggle. The combined force of the five energy waves completely halted the Rubu's shield from growing any larger.

Rubu stared out of the shield at his opponents. "They should be nothing to me… they should be less than insects to me… easily crushed by the weight of my mere shadow. How are they doing this?"

Gohan noticed Rubu was not pushing any more energy into his shield, "Something's going on…"

Inside the shield Rubu's distraction continued. He stared at his own hands, clenching his fingers open and closed, "These hands… perfect…" With his focus elsewhere, the fighters around him intensified their beams and began to reverse the energy field, "Is it… impossible…?"

Rubu's shield erupted into a shockwave, throwing everyone nearby away from him. He burst from the remnants of his own shield and soared towards Gohan's pushed form. Gohan saw his approach and put up his arms to block the punch. Rubu's fist made contact with Gohan's forearm and sent him somersaulting backwards a short distance until he caught himself and resumed his ready stance.

"It isn't true…" Rubu grit his teeth and began to shake. Gohan noticed the look of anger on his face. It was different than what he'd seen before while fighting Ru. Where Ru had a look of spite and rage directed at him, this new expression almost appeared to be pure self afflicted anger.

As Rubu's shook, so did the air around him. The blue sky became distorted as the vibrations of air spread and even caused the ground to quake when they reached the surface. Rubu's tightened himself even further, staring out blankly at nothing as his hands were close to gripping his own head.

Piccolo floated behind Gohan, "He's not focused, this could be our chance."

Gohan shook his head, "Something's not right… There's something going on in his head… I think… I think he's about to snap…"

On the surface, Babadi waved his hand in Rubu's direction, "This Majin Buu may be pure, but he's still a Majin… Listen to my words, take this power, and destroy your enemies! PAPARAPAPA!" Babadi's eyes gave off a bright glow in the same moment the "M" on Majin Buu's belt buckle glowed as well. The muscles in Majin Buu's arms bulged and he dashed toward Rubu.

"No wait!" Gohan tried to warn their pink ally.

Majin Buu's hand impacted the air vibrating off of Rubu's body, but he kept pushing forward. Pink aura swirled into the vibrating vortex forming around Rubu's body as Buu slowly pushed his way against the force and inched his way closer.

The power circling around Buu grew stronger as he pushed with all his might to reach striking distance. His large hand opened up and threatened to take Rubu into its grasp. Rubu's eyes opened and slowly looked toward Majin Buu out of just the corner of his eye.

Majin Buu's hand was closing around Rubu, "That's it Buu, just a little more!" Babadi pushed. Rubu grunted and a moment of silence followed.

Rubu's aura erupted with enough force to blow Majin Buu's hand completely off of his arm. Majin Buu tumbled backwards and took a blow to the face before he could regain his composure. The blow from the impact sent a vertical shockwave to the ground cracking the surface and throwing all of the spectators off their balance.

"You've… interfered with me… for the last time…" Rubu's voice was cracking as he shakily pronounced his words. He seemed to have very little composure left as he pointed his hand forward, the sparks that emitted from the energy knocked at the bindings of the universe, "Just go away!" The strange energy that hit Buu was unlike Rubu's other attacks. Majin Buu felt himself being dragged away.

"It's a Rift Shift…" Phips stared at the attack wondering why Rubu would use such a thing.

A hole opened in the fabric of space that Majin Buu was blown through. Once Majin Buu had vanished, the attack ended. No trace of Majin Buu's energy pattern could be felt anywhere this time.

"What… What happened…?" Babadi stared completely befuddled by what had just taken place.

The Supreme Kai tried to gather his senses back, "Because of Majin Buu's ability to absorb the damage inflicted upon him, Rubu realized he couldn't actually destroy him, so he banished Buu to another dimension."

Rubu looked toward the ground, his body still trembling, "YOU!"

"Oh no…" Phips panicked as he saw Rubu staring right at them.

"Rubu stop!" Gohan tried jumping in the way, but faster than he could react Rubu gathered energy in his hand and threw it at the crowd below. Gohan and Goku saw it's trajectory and immediately teleported to the ground.

Everyone was bathed in light as the beam approached. The world turned white as their shadows flattened across the ground behind them, "Grab on!" Goku shouted to Hercule and Videl. Gohan grabbed Phips as Kibito teleported the Supreme Kai away. Goku disappeared and Gohan placed two fingers on his head as the approaching beam was directly overhead.

He and Phips were already vanishing when a voice called to them, "Waaaait!" Gohan turned as Phips held out a hand to Babadi. Their hands phased through each other as the teleportation had already taken effect.

Rubu's beam collided with the earth and everything for miles around was immediately incinerated. The saiyans and their passengers appeared in the distant sky overlooking the damage, "He was helping us…" Phips gulped solemnly.

Gohan let Phips go who floated by him on his own power, "You mean Babadi… he was the one who sent Majin Buu back into the battle?"

Phips closed his eyes and nodded. A small chuckle escaped his chest before adding, "He was probably going to try and turn Buu against us afterward, he seemed to be that kind of guy… but yeah…"

If Gohan had been standing, he would have stumbled, "He saved us… and I let him die…" Gohan rubbed his forehead and took in deep breaths.

With a Satan under each arm, Goku floated to his son, "There was no time Gohan…"

Gohan shook his head, "I've had enough…"

"Don't go tripping on me now Gohan," Phips tugged on Gohan's arm, "Come on, we still need you."

Gohan shook his head, "This can't go on…" Gohan's silvery aura built up and he shot back toward Rubu.

Rubu had not moved since his last attack. He remained floating in a pensive and angry state, "RUBU!" Gohan shouted as he approached.

Rubu's head didn't move, but his eyes followed Gohan's approach. The boy stopped distance enough to face him, but not within reach of an easy strike. Rubu remained quiet as they stared at each other.

"Listen… Please…" Gohan took a deep breath before continuing, "This has to stop."

Rubu's eyes slanted menacingly, "Are you trying to mock me with this ridiculing display of…"

Gohan shook his head, "No! I'm just telling you there's no reason to keep going like this! I can't begin to say I understand you, but I just don't believe this is what you want. This isn't how things were meant to be. I know that you're angry, but I can also see that you're angry at something else. Please… I'm asking you to see that your fight isn't here. We can end this fight peacefully and go our separate ways."

"Do you really believe you're in a position to negotiate peace with me?" Rubu flared momentarily.

"You're angry with yourself right now… I don't know why you are, but I know you are. And I know it because I've felt that way before. So angry with myself for allowing things to happen… horrible thing…" Gohan choked an emotion down his throat, "Which is why I really think you don't want to do any of this! So please stop…"

The two continued to stare each other down for a few more minutes. Everyone around watched anxiously, awaiting the reaction to Gohan's words.

"This…" Rubu blinked a few times and his expression shifted once again, "This is a Sovereign trick!"

"No!" Gohan pleaded sincerely.

"Silence!" Ru interjected immediately, "You're only trying to lull me into believing you're not just another Sovereign scum! You're as guilty as the rest! And for your sins, everyone shall suffer!"

"Please calm down…" Gohan could tell the situation was slipping fast.

"Take a good look around you Sovereign… Place all that you see in your memory, and hold it tight…" Rubu was nearly grinding his teeth together, "For my wrath now extends not only to this world, but this entire realm! Nothing lives… your entire universe will cease to exist!"

"You can't do that!" Gohan tried lunging toward Rubu to grab onto him. A wave of light surrounded Rubu's body and with a resounding pop he completely vanished.

Gohan's eyes were wide as a cold sweat built up on his brow. Rubu's energy signature had completely vanished, and the others approached, "Gohan, what happened?" Goku was the first to ask.

The color almost completely drained from Gohan's body as they returned to the ground. He looked flushed and hot and his breathing was almost irregular. Piccolo placed a hand on Gohan's bare shoulder to try and offer some comfort, "What's wrong?"

Shaking the hand off, Gohan turned to Phips, "Open a rift to the Sovereign World, now!"

"What's he on about?" Vegeta was starting to get agitated that their questions were going unanswered.

Goku stood in front of his son and held him still with both hands to stop his fretting, "Gohan, calm down, please tell us what's going on."

Gohan almost couldn't look his father in the eye, and when he looked up all he could say was, "It's my fault…"

"No, Gohan, stop, it's going to be alright, whatever it is we'll find a way to beat it, together," Goku shook Gohan to emphasize his point.

After a few moments of unresponsiveness Gohan finally spoke up, "He's gone to the void… He's going to destroy the entire universe with one blast."

"Is that even possible?" Hercule blurted out after hearing Rubu's intention. Everyone around gave him a dirty look which just screamed "Keep quiet".

"Gohan…" Videl stepped up to the boy next and kneeled in front of him, "Don't give up okay?"

Gohan blinked a few times as the girl stared right into his eyes, "I don't give up."

Videl placed a finger on Gohan's lips, "You don't have to do all of this on your own. You have people willing to help you… I want to help you… So don't shut down now. Let us in Gohan, and there's no way we'll lose."

A smile finally crossed Gohan's face, "Thanks… You're alright for a girl."

"Hey!" Videl pouted.

Gohan took a deep breath, "Alright, then we're going to need a plan."

"Indeed," The Supreme Kai and Kibito returned and approached the group, "There is much that must be done in a short time. This situation has caught us most ill-prepared; however this dimension is not defenseless against such threats. We must speak with the Sovereign Kai immediately."

With a nod Gohan turned to Phips, "You ready with that rift jump yet?"

"Just remember this taxi charges by the mile!" A light began to surround the group.

Videl stood up poised to help out any way she could with the others. Gohan grinned as he placed a hand over her and her father, "Thank you, I won't forget you or what you told me."

"What?" Videl was taken aback when Gohan pushed slightly on them and their bodies began to fade away, "No! Don't do this! GOHAN!"

"Good bye," Gohan waved as everything around them disappeared.

Videl's eyes snapped open, she felt light headed and dizzy. Once she had her bearings straight she took a look around her surroundings, "No way…"

Hercule groaned as he pushed himself to his feet as well, "What happened…?"

Videl collapsed to her knees as she took in the familiar surroundings, "Why would he do this?"

Mister Satan finally realized where he was also, "That… he… he really is an angel…" Hercule embraced his daughter never having felt so good to be home.

Videl didn't know whether to be angry or cry, "Idiot…"

"There there Videl… You know as well as I do that there really isn't anything we could have done…" Hercule sighed as he tried to comfort his daughter, "Be thankful we're alive and… and pray everything goes well for them."

"Daddy? Are you home?" A small voice called from the next room.

"Oh my precious princess!" Hercule jumped up and ran to the next room, "Daddy will never leave you again!" the man cried.

Videl leaned against the wall, "You better get him…"

Gohan and the others appeared on the Sovereign World immediately thereafter directly in front of the manor. The Sovereign Kai stood on the deck overlooking the courtyard above the new arrivals, "Greetings."

Piccolo, Shin, and Kibito immediately bowed to the decorated Kai, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance at last sir," the Supreme Kai was quick to show his courtesy.

"You leave on your first unaccompanied mission and return with the entire family and upper Kai cluster of your home realm in tow Gohan?" The Kai grinned. All those present who had never seen the Sovereign world looked around amazed at the ethereal splendor of the world around them. The unusual hue of colors and the intensity of each tone hardly seemed possible.

"Sir, things have gotten a little out of hand," Gohan tried to jump in and explain.

The Sovereign Kai walked down the stairs toward the group, "Don't worry Gohan, there's no need to explain, I've been keeping an eye on your progress from here. I never expected that the force you would face on earth would be Ru, so I must compliment you all on the fine work you've all done so far at holding such a powerful foe at bay."

Gohan looked down sullenly, "But sir… we failed… I failed… I allowed Ru to merge with Majin Buu and become a Harmony. Now he's going to destroy my entire home universe!"

The Sovereign Kai lifted a hand and shook his head, "There is no need to panic Gohan."

Immediately noticing how cool and collect the Sovereign Kai was, Gohan couldn't help but wonder, "Why?"

Nodding, The Sovereign Kai held his hands behind his back and walked amongst everyone, "Ru, and Majin Buu, two incredible forces of unimaginable power; both with a violent edge and taste for destruction. Merged together they form an unfathomable engine of might and mayhem, however Harmony… they are not."

Gohan's eyes widened, "So you mean… They're not dimensional counterparts?"

With another nod The Sovereign Kai laughed, "I'm sorry to say this Gohan, but if they were counterparts and had become a true harmony, there is absolutely nothing even you could have done to stand up to them. You would have been pushed aside in an instant."

"So the stories are true then? About the Harmony?" Gohan probed a bit further.

The Kai's expression sank a little, and his eyes closed as he nodded in agreement, "They are… It was never my intention to deceive or lie to you Gohan, but such truths bare a horrible burden of responsibility that I prefer to ease my guardians into over time. I'm sorry if the realization of wars past has made you feel differently about our cause."

Gohan shook his head, "You all did what had to be done. And people like Ru who want to start it all again do need to be stopped. I'm alright with that."

The Sovereign Kai smiled, "Thank you Gohan. I sent word to Serius Prime that they are required immediately to aid you in stopping Rubu. However their current assignment has placed them outside of our normal means of communication. Jurkool will relay the message the moment they return to traditional space. We just need to wait for them to arrive…"

"No!" Gohan actually cut off The Sovereign Kai, "Rubu is still planning on destroying an entire universe, and he has to be stopped now!"

"He doesn't have that kind of power…" The Sovereign Kai stopped Gohan, "A Harmony yes could easily wipe out entire dimensions, however Rubu is but a fused warrior and a dimension is massively infinite for one being to so easily eradicate."

"But he's not a Harmony…" Gohan continued, "And that means once he realizes he can't do what he wants, there's no telling what he'll do. He's going to be angry… He's going to be so angry he'll want to destroy something… I can't give him the chance."

The Kai sighed, "You realize he's so much stronger than you and you're still willing to charge right into battle…"

"You're the one who taught me how to better fight against stronger warriors, please sir, I have to stop him," Gohan refused to look away from the Kai until he got his answer.

"Sir if I may," Shin stepped up to the Sovereign Kai, "Our universe also has weapons which lie at our disposal to aid us in these times. Before today I never believed we had the right warriors at our disposal to even wield such weapons, but I see now that I was wrong and that these saiyans are the perfect candidates to guard our realm from all who threaten it."

The Sovereign Kai's face scrunched in confusion as he regarded the other Kai, "You're concerned about a flaw in your plan though?"

Shin broke eye contact to look at the ground, "Not so much a flaw as it is my own inexperience as a Kai. You see I was appointed the role of Supreme Kai before my training under the Daikaioshin of our realm had completed. The position was thrust upon me after the deaths of my fellow Kai, so there is much I do not know such as the true use of our relics."

The Sovereign Kai grinned, "Universal parallel indeed, very well. Then let us diverge. The two saiyans, Goku and Vegeta, you will accompany us to the Supreme world. Gohan, take Phips and your namekian friend to the void and stall Rubu until our return.

"Yes sir," Gohan bowed to the Kai as he disappeared along with Goku, Vegeta, Shin, and Kibito.

Gohan was about to leave as well when he abruptly slapped his forehead as if remembering something important, "Phips!"

"I didn't do it!" Phips replied immediately.

"No, I need you to go back to earth," Gohan told him.

"Earth?" A sly smirk crossed Phips face, "You need me to drop off a love letter to your new girlfriend expressing your never ending love and apology for leaving her for her own wellbeing?"

"No…" Gohan frowned.

"Oh you haven't written it yet? Well it's simple you just start like this. Ahem," Phips changed his voice to mimic Gohan's, "My dearest eternal love, it pained me to witness the sorrow upon your stunning countenance when we last departed ways, but know that…"

"Phips…" Gohan's voice lowered menacingly.

"And then she would reply," Phips changed his voice to match Videl's, "My wonderful hunky Gohan, how I will forever cherish the memory of our first kiss, I will be eternally indebted to your incredibly gifted and amazing companion for the enlightening realization that you and I are destined lovers…"

"I'M IN A HURRY!" Gohan shouted though a lava red blush that had all but conquered his cheeks, "I need you to go back to earth and find The Realis!"

"Oh that thing…" Phips sighed disappointedly.

"Please Phips, I'm going to need it," Gohan hoped that marked the end of Phips's episode.

"I love it when you ask me to do things for you," Phips replied in Videl's voice again before disappearing with a loud pop.

Gohan cringed and noticed Piccolo grinning at him, "What?" Gohan asked while doing his best to glare at his best friend.

"Let's go Gohan," The grin never left Piccolo's face, but he never gave Gohan a hard time.

Gohan put two fingers to his head and concentrated, "Hold on then, the void can be a little unsettling, especially on your first time." Piccolo placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder as a sphere of light surrounded them and with another pop they had vanished.

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End Chapter

So Rubu isn't a Harmony… Too bad so sad for him, but does that mean that Gohan can beat him? The final stretch is in sight. It has me excited because I've never finished a story this long before. I mean seriously… this story is getting massive. Sometimes I think I'm going a little overboard with the detail, but then I think that really is one of the things that sets this story apart right now is how in depth we really try to get into the scenes, especially the fighting. Please leave a review and we'll see you again next week!


	33. Perpetual Shroud

What a week this has been… I was actually tempted to forgo the update today, work on this chapter for another week, and post next Friday. Instead though I decided I needed a stress reliever, and immersing into the fantasy world inside of writing helps a great deal with that. So as a result we have our regularly scheduled update! In this chapter I think most people are really going to see that I do a lot of walking around in my own strange little world where things really don't make sense to many people besides me… But with any luck the happenings in the chapter aren't to the extreme level of weirdness that the inside of my mind sometimes goes to. I love the concept of the void. Anyway, hope you all enjoy another chapter!

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Chapter 32: Perpetual Shroud

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The world became nothing but black. Things people take for granted such as ground, weight, direction, and light cease to exist. Not even the passing of time can be properly felt whilst floating lost in the true bleakness of the infinite void.

From within the nothingness, a separate reality formed around a light; a light which bore substance in a realm where nothing else was real. Piccolo's eyes widened as he suddenly felt himself again. It was as if he'd been floating outside of his own body only moments before, but now he found himself beside Gohan who held the light which seemed to validate their entire existence.

Piccolo shook the nauseous feeling from his head, "Gohan… Where are we?"

Gohan turned around and held the light above his head, "This is the void Piccolo, it's the space that exists between all the other universes. Rubu is here somewhere."

There didn't seem to be anything around at all as far as Piccolo could tell. The light Gohan held illuminated them, but all else around them wasn't even black, it was just empty, "There's nothing here…"

"Yeah… I'm not as good at this as Torjuk and the others are, give me a second…" Gohan concentrated as the light above his head intensified, "You've heard how matter is mostly comprised of empty space? Well even though it looks like there's nothing we're actually surrounded by everything. It's a little weird I know."

Piccolo wasn't sure how to respond so he tried to wait patiently for Gohan to do whatever he was doing, "I don't sense Rubu anywhere close by."

"Good, because we'll probably need just a minute…" The light in Gohan's hands cracked open the darkness, and began to push away the veil of emptiness. A new light flooded in from beyond as the energy forms of all the individual dimensions became visible.

"That's… incredible…" Piccolo turned from stream to stream. They looked so fluid and close, but at the same time it was almost like looking at a star in the night sky that in reality was infinitely further away than it appeared. Composing himself quickly Picoolo signaled to Gohan he was ready to move on.

"Rubu has to be floating close by our dimension which is…" Gohan put two fingers to his forehead as he concentrated, "…over there!" Gohan grabbed onto Piccolo's shoulder and they disappeared. The two rippled across reality and phased just above their own home universe. From this vantage point it was much easier to see how massive the girth of the universe was. It just stretched on forever.

Piccolo shook off the slight reveries and began looking around, "We need to find Rubu fast then…"

"Over there…" Gohan pointed closer to the energy waves of the universe towards the spot where a lone figure sat staring into astral energies in a solemn silence.

"He's not moving…" Piccolo kept his defenses up as they slowly floated over to him.

"Do you think he's even noticed we're here?" Gohan whispered closer to Piccolo.

"You teleported inside of the void sending massive amounts of extra dimensional energy in more fundamental directions than you can comprehend, do you really believe I'm unaware of your approach?" Rubu responded without turning around to face them.

Both Gohan and Piccolo assumed a defensive stance and waited for a moment to see if Rubu would make the first move. The moment passed and he made no further motions so the two approached closer. Gohan noticed Rubu's hand was extended toward the dimension, a slight shimmer of power sparked across his palm every few moments, but nothing more came of it.

Gohan looked up from Rubu's hand to the back of his nemesis's head, "You know then…"

"Know?" Rubu's voice thundered as he turned to look over his shoulder.

"You know that you don't have the power to wipe out a universe. A universe is massive and infinite, and although the power of a Harmony may be that strong as well, you're not a harmony, are you?" Rubu slowly turned to face Gohan; his face expressed a look of hatred.

"Don't push me boy…" Rubu warned.

"To think you spent all that time bragging about your mighty awesomeness, you mentioned over and over again how all the people around you were nothing more than bugs for you to crush," Gohan refused to flinch as Rubu slowly floated closer.

"I'm warning you…" Rubu's teeth clenched menacingly.

"And now look at this," Gohan put up his arms and challenged Rubu further, "turns out that you're nothing better than any other villain my friends and I have ever fought. You're just a lot of talk Rubu, and when it comes down to it, you're really not even a threat."

"Boy…" Rubu continued to approach, his rage overlapped upon itself the closer he moved to Gohan.

"Don't say another thing to me," Gohan practically spat at the approaching fused warrior, "you're hardly worth the effort. You're just another hurdle, one to be overcome just like all the others."

"You have no idea what I am…" Rubu spat out.

"I know enough…" Gohan countered back, "I know you've wallowed into a corner. You've become a coward who's not even a match for me anymore!"

Piccolo prepared himself as Rubu looked as if he would jump at them at any moment. Rubu made no such quick action however and after a moment only grinned, "Don't go believing you can subject my mind with your frivolous doubts. Whatever the case, I am more than a match to end the likes of you, and then I'll be free to move on across infinite time to realize my true potential!"

"You won't be getting past us that easy!" Piccolo opened his hand and held his fingers out revealing a fully charged Special Beam Cannon at his disposal, "Makankosappo!" The cork screw cannon drilled its way toward Rubu, but Piccolo noticed immediately that something was wrong. The beam wasn't flying straight and began to curve around Rubu until it flew off in another direction all together.

"What horrible aim you have…" Rubu laughed as he crossed his arms further frustrating Piccolo.

"He's done something…" Gohan stopped to look around the area around them. He looked up and noticed the universes above them appeared distorted, "What did you do Rubu?"

"I've done nothing; you're the one who is incapable of seeing reality for what it truly is," Rubu floated higher above Gohan and Piccolo. His body appeared to elongate and compress as he moved.

Gohan waved his own hand in front of him and noticed a slight distortion in the image his eyes processed of his own movement, "Is this the shroud of the void?"

"Such childish eyes, completely blinded by your three dimensional logic. You really can't comprehend the additional layers of space and time all around you," Rubu appeared to be moving but remained stationary in his position above the two warriors, "The shroud, as you Sovereigns put it I suppose, is what allows you to experience the void in dimensional terms your puny minds can recognize. Up, down, forward, back, left, and right, the directions of your traditional three dimensional space. What you fail to see is that the void moves in all directions, even the ones you haven't realized exist."

"He's getting closer to us Gohan…" Piccolo grunted even though it appeared to them that Rubu wasn't moving at all.

"How astute of you green one…" Ru moved his arm completely out of traditional space and struck Piccolo in the face. The force of the blow from the unknown direction knocked Piccolo out of traditional space as if he fell into an invisible hole.

"No Piccolo!" Gohan shouted towards where his mentor had previously been standing.

Rubu retracted his arm back into normal space, "You're mine!" He burst his ki and dove toward Gohan leaving him little time to react as he crashed down upon him. Gohan put up his arm to block in the direction he saw Rubu coming toward him but was slightly off allowing Rubu's fist to smash into his jaw.

Gohan slid back and rubbed his sore jaw for a moment before making a jump back toward Rubu. Though he swung in the direction he saw and felt Rubu standing, his punch missed its target by a good several feet, leaving him open for Rubu to kick him hard in the ribs.

There would be a bruise on his ribs later, but Gohan didn't care at the moment as he swung himself around and tried firing a volley of ki attacks. Most of the blasts were far from their mark as well, and of the ones that came close Rubu dodged by phasing out of normal. Before Gohan could launch another attack, a fist came up at him from underneath as Rubu flew at him with an uppercut.

Not being able to tell exactly where and how Rubu was moving placed Gohan at an incredible disadvantage. He frustratingly grit his teeth, angry with himself for thinking he'd have the edge while fighting in the void. He hadn't counted on Rubu turning things around like this.

A ripple spread across time and space as Rubu gathered a large quantity of energy in his hand, "A shame you won't be able to follow this attack to even try and block it!" Rubu turned to the side and threw the ball.

Gohan watched with a wide expression as the approaching attack disappeared in front of him. The ball flew in and out of his visible space spectrum several times in multiple directions all around him. Gohan was startled into facing the attack each time he made out its position. Even though he could see the attack he still couldn't pinpoint the direction it was actually traveling in at all.

The energy ball appeared directly above Gohan's head. With only a fraction of a moment away from the impending impact when a green hand collided with the energy ball and pushed it in another direction.

"Piccolo!" Gohan cheered as the namek emerged from the hidden space.

"I think I understand how this place works Gohan…" Piccolo squinted his eyes while extending his perception to keep a tight guard up in Rubu's presence, "Unlike the normal world, all the different layers of dimensional direction are closely entwined here. Though you can't see it with your eyes, you can use your energy to push you through."

Gohan blinked a few times looking amazed, "You figured out how to do that this quickly?"

"Rubu made the mistake of forcing me through a dimensional boundary. It's a lot easier to understand once you've seen things from the other side," Piccolo explained quickly.

"You're such a nuisance!" Rubu waved his hand, unleashing a large slash of energy toward Gohan and Piccolo.

"Here!" Piccolo grabbed Gohan's hand and pulled him out of sync with normal space.

It suddenly clicked in Gohan's head how the void worked outside of the shroud. Time was irrelevant inside the void, which made it possible to move across time as if it were a direction. Gohan had to will himself not to become overwhelmed with this sensation of physically moving across normal time, while experiencing the passage of time as some kind of fifth dimension.

With his eyes closed, Gohan deciphered Rubu's exact position and burst toward him with Piccolo close at his side. A curious look crossed Rubu's face as he noticed the two approaching him with their closed eyes.

The distance between them became nothing and the assault was launched as Gohan and Piccolo both swung punches and kicks at Ru from all directions with dreadful accuracy. Rubu found himself blocking the attacks growing all the more amazed at how quickly his opponents continued to adapt to the ever worsening conditions.

"No matter, I still hold enough power to defeat you outright!" Rubu lunged forward striking Gohan's chest and sending him tumbling back. Piccolo countered with a fierce kick, but Rubu put an arm up to guard against it in time and shot at Piccolo with beams from his eyes.

Piccolo had almost recovered from the push after being hit by the eye lasers, but Rubu sped behind him and placed a hand against Piccolo's back, "Stay dead this time!" Rubu powered up for only a moment before releasing an enormous energy beam. Piccolo yelled as his body was torn away by the current and he was dragged off by the force of the blast.

"Piccolo!" Gohan yelled sensing his old mentor's power dropping and his energy moving further and further away.

With two fingers to his forehead, Gohan was ready to move to retrieve Piccolo, "Not so fast!" Rubu grabbed Gohan's arm, twisted it backwards and kicked Gohan in the back of the knee, bringing him down.

Gohan yelled and struggled against Rubu's grip, but the fused warrior's hold was tighter than he could budge.

"Incredibly mighty for one so young, but truly you stand no chance on your own against me," Rubu held up his other hand and began to gather a dark energy. He concentrated the power into a finite point and held it at the back Gohan's neck, "Alone… you die…"

A doubled voice spoke from the side of the two combatants, "Who ever said he was alone?"

Rubu turned his head in time for a gloved fist to ram into his face and send him hurdling across a large span of the void. Once stopped, Rubu felt his head over. The blow had hurt, he was bleeding even. Looking over towards where he had been he noticed someone new standing by Gohan, a tall man in a blue fighting gi and white gloves and boots.

Gohan turned himself around and gazed at the newcomer in bewilderment, "Who…" The power he felt reminded him of his dad, but it was different and he looked different.

The man flicked at the earrings hanging on his lobes, "Call me… Vegito." Gohan almost fell over once he realized Vegito was the fusion combination of his dad and Vegeta. "Go help Piccolo Gohan, this one is all mine."

"Are you sure?" Gohan asked tentatively before Vegito began to power up. His hair turned golden and spiked upward as his power level skyrocketed. An immediate moment later his facial features hardened and his hair grew down his back. Gohan took a step back as he felt the incredible power radiating from the third level fused super saiyan, "Oh man!" Gohan shielded his face from Vegito's aura as the super power reached his peak.

Rubu stood poised to challenge the newcomer. Vegito disappeared from the ground he stood and immediately crashed into the other fused warrior. Rubu blocked the blow, but the force at which Vegito struck was so great that it threw Rubu's arm away from the defensive posture and opened him up to continuing attacks.

Piccolo was cursing under his breath as he slowly opened his eyes. His body stung from taking the full brunt of the blast that hit him. He felt himself floating around in the abysmal wastelands of his surroundings, but couldn't concentrate enough to get a grasp on how to move to return to where he needed to be.

"Careful there Mister Piccolo, you alright?" Gohan reached around Piccolo's arm and hoisted him up around his shoulder.

"Gohan…" Piccolo grumbled, "He's strong… I'm sorry I couldn't help more…"

Gohan shook his head, "I wouldn't have been able to hold him off long enough for Vegito to get here to help if it wasn't for you Piccolo."

"Vegito?" Piccolo regained a few of his senses and sensed the battle scene to discover two powers fighting. "That second power… that's Goku and Vegeta… but a lot stronger."

Gohan nodded, "They were able to get the weapons the Supreme Kai was talking about, and now they're on par with Rubu."

The two fused fighters matched each other well. As Vegito attacked, Rubu would block or dodge into a position to counter only for Vegito to block as well.

"This is your first time in the void, how are you keeping up with me?" Rubu demanded.

"A true warrior fights with all of his senses. Tricks of perception have no effect on the balanced fighter who is truly one of mind, body, and soul!" Vegito kicked at Rubu from a random direction launching the vicious titan away.

Rubu regained control, spun around, and stiffened his body as blade like tendons burst from his arms and he charged for Vegito again. Vegito held his hands out and countered by forming an energy sword in each hand and blocking the incoming attack. The two began jumping and slashing at each other with their improvised weapons at incredible speed.

"It still won't end…" Gohan tensed as he watched over the fight.

Piccolo saw the anxiety building in his former pupil, "They're both strong, but I have no doubts in your father or Vegeta that they can win."

"It's not just that…" Gohan looked down as he flipped through the facts in his mind, "Ru is immortal, Majin Buu is an ancient terror at least several thousand years old. They go on and on… We need a way to pin them down and not let them back up…"

Piccolo saw the truth in Gohan's words. Vegito would eventually tire out, but Rubu will only regenerate and carry on unless he was to be completely stopped, "What can we do?"

As Gohan thought more on the possibilities a voice began to shout in his head, "I found it!"

Vegito landed several more flurries of punches onto Rubu. He definitely appeared to have the upper hand in the fight. He held out a hand and burst his aura; the force of the shockwave was enough to knock Rubu back. Vegito took in a deep breath and brushed the sweat from his brow. His eyes widened as he realized he approaching his body's tolerance of the super saiyan three transformation.

Not about to relent now, Vegito upped the ante further attempting to bring Rubu down before his energy failed him. Rubu didn't move in time and took several kicks and punches to the midsection. Vegito plowed into him like a super saiyan jackhammer refusing to give his enemy a chance to recover.

Vegito spun around after the punch attack and kicked out with both feet against Rubu's head. Rubu was tumbling away without much ability to defend himself, so Vegito decided to use the advantage and do everything he could. With both hands in front of him he began to channel his energy forward. An enormous ball of light formed as wisps of Vegito's aura were pulled into it from all around, "BIG BANG KAMEHAMEHA!" The large ball split open and released the massive beam of energy toward Vegito's target.

Rubu felt the incredible energy approaching and tried holding out his hands to block it. The wave was too powerful for Rubu to retain his footing and he began to slide. Rubu grit his teeth as he focused all of his powers on stabilizing himself.

Vegito's aura flashed brighter as he decided to give the blast everything. He pushed as hard as he could willing his energy to tear through Rubu's defenses.

Rubu squeezed his eyes shut as held the beam back with everything he could muster. He knew if he took the brunt of this blast that it would severely weaken him, possibly even leave him unable to continue the current battle.

As Vegito grunted with exertion trying to push the beam even harder he felt his muscles spasm. He drew in a sharp breath as his aura flickered brightly for a moment before leaving him. His eyes opened and became normal; his hair also returned from long and golden its basic black.

Rubu felt immediately that the force being exerted on him by the beam diminished greatly. He regained enough control to channel the energies of his defense into his hands to repel the beam with another energy wave.

The scale of the power struggle tipped in Rubu's favor, and his energy beam began pushing its way back toward Vegito. Vegito realized without the power of his higher transformation he wouldn't win this contest. He jumped out of the way as the beam returned and exploded in the spot he had been standing a moment prior.

Rubu was quick to follow the path of the beam and struck Vegito with his knee to the saiyan's stomach. A punch and kick followed up the knee to the stomach and Vegito found himself being tossed away from Rubu. The look of anger returned to Rubu's face as he trudged menacingly closer to Vegito's form.

Gohan appeared in front of Vegito with his arms extended, "You stay back!"

"Gohan…" Vegito muttered under his breath looking for his second wind.

Rubu rolled his eyes, "Haven't you had enough boy? Your energies also have faded greatly. You don't have the strength or power to truly challenge me! This fused mockery of Vegito unleashed a barrage far greater than what you're capable of, and yet I still stand victorious! You're out of tricks, so what do you intend to do now?"

Gohan jumped back away from Rubu, "DO IT NOW!"

A rift opened behind Rubu's back and a shout of "YEE-HAA!" filled the air as the Realis flew out from the hole in space with Phips riding atop the blade, holding on with one hand and waving a western cowboy hat in the other.

"Idiots!" Rubu rolled out of the way of the sword allowing it to fly right by him.

Gohan immediately took the initiative and lunged forward. He grabbed the hilt of the Realis completely knocking Phips off the sword. He swung the sword up and lifted it above his head as he jumped into the air. With a loud yell he pumped his energy into the sword causing the blade to glow bright with power and extend upward into the sky as a great beam.

The surrounding universes began to glow bright and matched the color and intensity of the Realis as Gohan reached the zenith of his lunging arc. Rubu, taken by surprise, found himself completely awestruck by the display and was unable to move as the blade crashed down from above him. The energy of the Realis sliced cleanly through Rubu.

Everyone was silent as they waited for something to happen. The intense light in the void faded back to its normal dim as the Realis returned to its traditional sword like state as well. Gohan touched down and sheathed the Realis behind his back.

"What… What did you do?" Rubu finally uttered in the otherwise silent space.

"I destroyed you Rubu…" Gohan stated plainly.

A line formed down the center of Rubu's body. From within the line came a bright light which began to expel a tremendous amount of energy. Rubu held his head and screamed as the intense light spread across his entire body. The shape of his body began to contort and split. A pop like an explosion resounded from the energy making everyone's ears ring.

"What…?" and "Wha happa…?" were spoken in the same instant making the situation very clear. Gohan had split Rubu back into two separate entities.

* * *

End Chapter

And so the great terror that was never actually a harmony has been defeated. It could be all downhill from here folks! Thank you all for hanging around this long everyone!

Oh and by the way real quick. We're approaching the next hundred review milestone again (wow that was fast!) and I've decided to do what I said I'd do last time again. As I'm about done with the request fic Lady V asked me to write for leaving the 300th review, I'm extending that same offer to whoever leaves the 400th review. And that is a one shot request fic, anything goes. I had a lot of fun with Lady V writing the first one, so I hope I get to do it again with whoever ends up being next! I hope this story continues to be enjoyable so please keep leaving reviews with comments and suggestions and everything. Thanks again!


	34. Divergent Truth

I just have a quick observation from the reviews for the last couple of chapters that kind of surprised me. Well maybe not surprised… but… I just thought it was interesting how not a single person mentioned anything about Babadi's death. Funny how the little weasel is despised so much that no one batted an eyelash about his demise even though he was technically helping the good guys at the time. I don't like him either which is why I still had to find a way to kill him though I guess. Out in a blaze of glory? Not so much… Running away screaming like a little pansy as the volcano erupts, yeah that's it.

Anyway, for today's chapter I felt the need to be a little… evil… who am I kidding, I've been waiting for this chapter for months! Have fun everyone!

* * *

Chapter 33: Divergent Truth

* * *

Kid Buu and Ru stood separate in front of Gohan and Vegito. They looked at each other with confused expressions for a moment.

"They're still disoriented…" Gohan turned his head and whispered, "Get Buu out of here."

Phips pushed himself off the ground, "First he doesn't even tell me he's going to be swinging me around the place and then he keeps on barking orders." Phips hopped onto Vegito's back, "Get the pink one!"

"Right!" Vegito's doubled voice echoed as he launched toward the two villains. Ru snapped out of the daze as Vegito approached but couldn't react to support Kid Buu as Vegito's gloved fist rammed into his stomach. Kid Buu was flung off into the distance with Vegito quickly pursuing.

"Get back here!" Ru powered up and flew after Vegito.

Rift energy began building around Vegito as Phips prepared to shift them away. Ru was almost on top of them when Vegito grabbed onto Kid Buu's leg and Phips pushed them into another universe.

"No!" Ru swung at empty space by the time he made it within striking range. He looked madly from universe to universe but it was almost impossible to tell which one they had rifted into. "I'll… I'lll…"

"That's enough Ru…" Gohan floated over to the gecko warrior and stared him down, "Your quest failed, Buu was never your counterpart to begin with so there's no point in hunting them down."

Ru's fist shook, "Damn you sovereign!" Ru's body began to glow as he powered up, "I may not be a Harmony, or have Buu's power as my own, but I'm still going to destroy you!"

"It's over Ru, just stop this," Gohan held his hand out, "Give up and come with me. I promise that we can come to an arrangement."

Ru pushed Gohan's hand out of the way, "An arrangement? Oh whatever did you have in mind?" Ru spoke with a strong sarcastic pitch.

"We'll talk it over with the Sovereign Kai, there is lots of good someone like you can do rather than walk the line of destruction and chaos," Gohan offered.

"Oh of course, I'll just turn over myself to the Kai and be his obedient little prisoner for the rest of eternity," Ru crossed his arms and continued to stare at Gohan with malice, "Sorry, but I think I'll pass."

"It doesn't have to be like that…" Gohan appealed again, "Becoming a Harmony isn't something that's meant to be. Even _you_ weren't able to accomplish it, so there's no reason for things to go on like this."

"You're such a naïve fool…" Ru chuckled, "Have you so easily forgotten? I'm immortal! I have an eternity to keep trying and to get it right, and I'll use it all if I have to."

"Don't do this Ru," Gohan warned, "We've been through a lot here and things have changed from when it all started. I'll take you down if I have to."

A glow came over Ru's body, "You are a mighty one, of this I have no doubt, but only one of us is absolute, you can't beat me."

"I'll find a way…" Gohan's aura flashed brightly signifying he had delivered his final warning.

Ru grit his teeth as he burst his aura in response and dashed into Gohan. Gohan put his arm up in defense and blocked Ru's punch. Ru pushed into super speed and jumped across space faster than blurs of motion. Ru attacked fiercely, but Gohan blocked and dodged every attack. Energy flashed each time Ru made contact with Gohan's defense, the universes around them gave off a bright glow in response to the intensity of their fight.

Ru's entire body began to glow as he partially converted his mass into energy. Incredible blasts of energy were unleashed randomly from his body. Gohan started blocking each attack individually, and when Ru increased the speed of his blasts Gohan powered up further and used his aura to soak up the damage instead.

With a slight growl, Ru gazed frustratingly at the ineffectiveness of his attacks on Gohan, "Damn it…"

"It's finished Ru," Gohan's ki flared brighter showing that he could still power up further, "You pushed my limits and this is the result! You can't win like this, so just stop."

"Don't be so proud of yourself!" Ru glared daggers at the boy, "You think you've worked so hard, done so much? You've done nothing! You little brat, you've had everything just handed to you! You Sovereign scum don't know pain, or heartache, or have any sense of working for what you have!"

Gohan's eye twitched at Ru's harsh words, "You're wrong, the reason we exist is to work hard to protect what's important to us."

"To you but what of to others? You selfish idiots!" Ru spat out, his anger rising through his own words, "I did not train for thousands of years to be overcome by some infant! I will not submit… I will triumph!" As Ru's body was overtaken by the same glow of energy again, he began to combine his other techniques into the same attack. Large talons shot from his wrists emulating swords, his scaly skin hardened toughening his defense, his very core became translucent as it liquefied into energy.

Gohan drew the Realis from his back as he prepared for Ru to rush him. As Ru burst toward him, Gohan held his sword in a defensive position horizontally and blocked the downward thrust from both of Ru's talons.

Ru thought he had Gohan distracted in front well enough to not notice a multiform approaching from behind. His back attack was caught as a second Gohan materialized behind the original already facing the attacker.

The four of them split again, and with four of each of them on the battle field, a total of eight warriors punched and blasted at each other. Ru immediately noticed that only one of the Gohans wielded the Realis, "You don't know the technique well enough to replicate your weapon?" he grinned tauntingly.

With a shake of the head Gohan replied, "This sword is a one and only, it can't be bought, sold, traded, or replicated." Gohan emphasized the sword by channeling his energy through it and slashing it toward Ru creating a ripple in time that tore across the void. Ru put up his arms in defense but was still blown away by the contact with the attack.

Sensing their fellow multiform take a hit, the other three Ru's turned to look. The Gohans used the distraction to their advantage as one of them spun through the air and kicked a Ru at the side of the head. Another dashed in front of his Ru and uppercut him sending him soaring backward, while the last Gohan held his hands above his head from behind his opponent, "MASENKO-HA!" The attacks came faster than any of the Rus could react to them. The surrounding universes gave off flashes like lightning after each blow that Gohan landed which left the Rus sprawled across the nothingness of the void.

As each Ru pushed himself up, they reconstituted into a single being again. Gohan recombined also, floating slightly above his now singular enemy, "Anything else you care to try?"

"Don't toy with me!" Ru lunged toward Gohan again with his right talon outstretched and aimed for Gohan's torso. Gohan slid out of the way and raised a knee into Ru's stomach. The flash from this blow was brighter than any of the others had been as Gohan's knee practically dug into Ru's organs. Without his energy form on, Ru took the full force of the blow which left him shocked with pain and lacking in breath. His neck muscles moved in spasms as he turned to stare hatefully once more at the boy who was beating him. Before he even finished moving his head, Gohan punched Ru on the side of the face creating yet another bright flash of light and sending Ru tumbling back.

Ru's talons withdrew back into his arms as he pushed himself up while taking in deep breaths. He tried to focus on remaining calm and recomposing himself. The inter-dimensional catastrophe was looking defeated to Gohan, "That's enough Ru, Just e…"

"Don't!" Ru interrupted violently. "I won't…" He took in a few more deep breaths as he regained his balance, "I refuse!" Ru lifted a hand to rub his sore cheek where Gohan had struck him. As he rubbed the swollen scales he felt a strange sensation of energy coursing through his palm. He looked closer and noticed energy was seeping from the cheek he was rubbing. It was faint but there was a trail of energy leaving his body. Looking down he saw a similar trail being drawn out from his stomach. He looked up as he followed the trail of energy; his eyes narrowed in bewilderment as his the trail of energy on his cheek connected to a similar anomaly on Gohan's fist, as did the trail from his stomach to Gohan's knee. In fact there were many other dimmer trails connecting them where they had dealt prior blows to each other.

"Why would…" Ru continued to watch the energy trails. He knew it wasn't some kind of trick Gohan was using to slowly drain him of his power as the energy was seeping from Gohan as well. Between them was forming some kind of connection.

Gohan finally noticed what had Ru's attention and looked down his arms with just as much confusion as Ru did, "What is this?"

The Sovereign and Supreme Kais had been monitoring the battles from the vestal chamber in the Sovereign Kai's manor. The two Kais and Kibito were intently focused on the fight between Vegito and Majin Buu as there seemed to be little doubt as to who the victor in the void would be. The Supreme Kai was the first to notice that both Ru and Gohan had halted their fighting. He approached the magical screen which focused on the two and squinted his eyes as he tried to make out what the two warriors had noticed, "My word, what is that between them?"

The Sovereign Kai, with the crystal ball watching Buu in hand, turned and approached the Supreme Kai to take a look as well. His unconcerned, tranquil demeanor slowly transformed into a look of shock and horror and he dropped the crystal ball. The ball hit the floor and shattered into tiny shards, the fight displaying on it slowly faded away with the escaping magic, "It can't be…"

Gohan thought back to everything he'd been taught about the void and tried to piece together why energy would be binding him to Ru after their contact. He continued to look back and forth between the energy trails trying to make sense of the phenomena.

Ru's eyes slowly traveled up Gohan's form, a look of devilish delight formed across his face. Gohan's distraction almost caused him to miss the approaching attack. He was able to roll out of the way of Ru's tackle at the last moment and flipped over his opponent to deliver a downward kick. Once again the void lit up after the strike.

With a quick flip, Ru caught himself before smashing against the ground. His vigor somehow renewed, Ru threw himself back toward Gohan unleashing a flurry of fast punches. Gohan once again blocked each of Ru's attacks. The flashes of void light reacting to their blows were becoming almost blinding. Gohan caught Ru's fist as it flew toward him and held it out as he spun underneath the trapped arm and slammed his elbow into Ru's stomach. Ru coughed out a mixture of spit and blood as the dimensions shone brightly and Gohan's elbow dug in deep. The look of pain faded quickly from Ru's face, replaced again with a smug grin.

Allowing Ru to sink to his knee, Gohan released his hold on Ru's arm and floated away from him. He immediately noticed the new energy trails connecting them, "You know what's going on, don't you? Tell me!"

Ru started to laugh as he rose from his prone position, "To think… you were there the entire time… before Buu's release, before that particular absorption. The ironic thing is you came… and I didn't even think…"

Gohan's patience was wearing thin with Ru, "I'm not interested in playing any mind games Ru…"

"This is no game young Sovereign… I'm willing to share everything with you," Ru opened his arms invitingly, "Come closer and you'll understand it all."

Looking apprehensive, Gohan refused to move, "What are you trying to pull all of a sudden? Don't think you're going to lower my guard so easily."

"No tricks, no games, you were right, this fight is over," Ru retained his posture and smiled at Gohan, "I just see the truth now, our meeting was meant to happen. You and I were meant to cross paths, to dual with the intensity of ancient rivals, to feed and grow from one another. Everything that has happened was all for this moment."

Gohan felt his muscles stiffening from anxiety; he wasn't sure how to deal with Ru's words, "What are you saying?"

A glint flashed across Ru's eye as his brash smile returned "You and I were meant to be one!"

Gohan's expression dropped as Ru's words sank in. The void itself seemed to be connecting them to each other. Gohan took a few steps backward as a nauseating feeling overcame his stomach, "You mean that… we…"

"You were right, it wasn't possible for the combination of Majin Buu and myself to create Harmony," Ru calmly approached Gohan as his body phased to energy, "because the being from your dimension I share equivalency with… is you!"

"No! Stay back!" Gohan warned taking another jump away from Ru.

"Don't fight this Gohan, together we can do more than you've ever dreamed possible. We can end all suffering across reality, anyone who refuses to abide our command we could eradicate with but a mere thought!" Ru appealed with a deeply narcissistic tone, "Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"I won't do it!" Gohan shot back as he powered up ready to fight Ru off of him if he had to.

"Weren't you the one pleading to end the battle moments ago?" Ru chuckled, "This is the perfect way to end it all, isn't it?"

Gohan grit his teeth and with a burst of ki blasted off away from Ru. Gohan's mind was racing trying to figure out what to do. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind before that something like this could happen. He felt unprepared; he didn't know what he could do against Ru now without endangering everything.

As Gohan thought he was distancing himself from Ru, the said dimensional shifter jumped out of time in front of Gohan, "Have you so quickly forgotten how this place works?"

Screeching to a halt, Gohan drew the Realis again and held it in front as a warning to Ru to stay back, "Stop it!"

"Now I've got you going," Ru laughed as he hands phased to energy, "If you want to keep playing for a while before we complete our destiny, then I suppose I can oblige," Ru held his hand forward and fired a large ki blast, catching Gohan and pushing him back.

Gohan defended himself with the Realis to keep from actually touching anything from Ru. He channeled energy into the sword and cut through Ru's energy wave breaking it apart and sending it flying off harmlessly in two directions.

Ru slipped through time again across the void and appeared immediately at Gohan's side delivering a surprise spin kick. Gohan blocked the kick with his sword, spun the blade around his wrist and made a quick cut upward in hopes to catch Ru off balance. Ru once again used his knowledge of the fourth dimension to his advantage to dodge away from the attack and returned forward with a fast lunge. His hands grabbed onto Gohan's shoulders and in energy form tried seeping through Gohan's defenses.

Gohan let out a yell and violently powered up his aura to throw Ru off of him. Though he succeeded he couldn't help but notice the bright glow on both his shoulders.

There was no way to make Ru give up now. He returned to Gohan's side with monstrous force. The torrents of his effort were almost incomparable to any attempt of attack he'd earlier made, even compared to when he was fresh in the fight.

With lightning like punches, Ru drove his fists toward Gohan's face repeatedly. Gohan now tried to dodge each attack rather than allow even the contact from blocking a hit reach him. Gohan mistimed one dodge and Ru took full advantage and punched Gohan across the side of the face leaving a glowing mark. Ru didn't stop and came back with his other fist catching Gohan again in the stomach, doubling the boy over from the blow.

By reaction alone, Gohan swung himself off of the hit and kicked out. His foot landed flat on Ru's chest and launched him backward. Ru rolled a good distance away before skidding to a stop, but still let out a laugh while he pushed himself back up. The echoing sinister sound caused Gohan to cringe as he noticed yet another glowing trail connecting the two of them.

"It's time this was all settled and done with!" Ru hovered above Gohan with his arms outstretched and a massive amount of energy gathering in each hand. "You won't come to me on your own, so I'll have to weaken you first, then you'll be mine and you'll finally understand it all!" Ru brought his hands forward, clasping them in front of him and combining his energy.

Gohan sensed he still had the advantage in a power struggle and gathered his energy to face Ru head on, "Ka me ha me…" As both combatants powered up their attacks, the void darkened while the streams of realities gave off an almost perfect intense white light.

"Just try and stop this!" Ru unleashed a great flood of power letting it engulf its way toward Gohan.

"HAAA!" Gohan brought his hands forward and countered with his family's signature attack.

The two beams met forming a shockwave in the center which tunneled horizontally across the void. The light of the universes turned almost red in contrast to the blue energy of the power struggle as both Ru and Gohan pushed against each other.

With his footing secure, Gohan intensified his energy, intent on crippling Ru long enough to put some distance between them. The power erupted from Gohan's hands and began to sweep Ru's own energy back toward him. The thought struck him that he was repelling the attack with much less effort than it should have taken. Before Gohan was able to devote much more thought to the notion, he was tackled from the side.

Looking over his shoulder, Gohan noticed he was being pinned by Ru's multiform clone. Ru had used the attack as a distraction to split again and take Gohan by surprise. Gohan tried to pull free from the Ru's grip but was caught on the other side by a second multiform. From above, the Ru he'd engaged in the power struggle with rolled off of the attack and dove toward them. The approaching Ru converted his body into energy as his proximity closed.

Gohan clenched his teeth and timed his next move. The light and energy being given off from his arms was almost solid after being held down by the split forms of Ru on top of him. Once the last portion of Ru was almost in range, Gohan pulled forward as hard as he could, completely uplifting the two multiforms from their anchored positions and slammed them together in front of the approaching energy form of Ru. With his hands free, Gohan channeled his energy into a ball and threw it at the three Rus. The ball crackled with energy as it impacted and immediately exploded. The explosion caught Ru in the blast radius and engulfed his energy. What parts of Ru's energy weren't disintegrated by the attack quickly fizzled out into smaller sparks.

Gohan took in deep breaths as he watched silently. He had no idea for how long he might have stalled Ru, and decided it best to take the opportunity to move and distance himself from Ru as much as possible until the others could arrive to help. Gohan's power flared around him as he flew away from the spot.

It was difficult to focus as Gohan flew a good distance from the battle scene. His mind was an unmanageable jumbled mess of questions as he tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together and determine just how things had ended up the way they had. He almost failed to notice when a light and loud pop sound came from nearby. Gohan stopped when he noticed the Sovereign Kai had rifted into the void and was waving him over, "Gohan hurry!"

Gohan flew to the Kai and landed by him hurriedly, "Master Kai, sir! Things with Ru have gotten complicated!"

The Kai looked panicked and nodded to Gohan, "I know, I was watching the battle, we must leave this place immediately and get you as far away from that mad man as possible." The Kai held his hand out for Gohan to take as he charged his rifting abilities to exit the void.

Gohan reached out to take the Kai's hand as another series of nearby pops and light caught his attention. He immediately turned around in a defensive posture to block whatever was coming when he saw the Sovereign and Supreme Kai rift into the void, "GOHAN!" The Sovereign Kai shouted franticly.

The look on Gohan's face just read confusion as he watched the Kais run toward him. Gohan's world slowed around him; the two Kai's looked to be hardly moving as Gohan realized the trap he'd fallen for. The Sovereign Kai who stood behind him phased into energy, the appearance melted away like a glowing liquid revealing Ru poised and ready.

Gohan began to turn around, he tried to raise his defenses to stop Ru from doing what he was about to do, he tried to jump out of the way. Ru's being phased once again into energy as he lunged forward. Gohan's world turned white as it filled with searing pain. Ru's energy form invaded him, tearing into his body through his back.

"NOOOO!" The Sovereign Kai shouted as he ran toward Gohan as fast as he could.

The Sovereign Kai's screams were almost blocked out from Gohan's ears. The only thing he could hear was his own uneasy breathing as a great weight brought him down. The pressure around him left him feeling like he was sitting at the bottom of the ocean. The pain in his back grew worse leaving him crippled and unable to focus. He was barely aware when the two Kais who grabbed onto his shoulders and shook him once they reached him, "Don't give up Gohan! You mustn't give up!"

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End Chapter

Next time on ZAT… Ru merges with Gohan to become the next super ultimate god being and together they destroy everything!

Maybe…

Were people actually thinking this roller coaster was flattening out? I have been so anxious waiting for this part of the story! Now that it's here I'm actually high strung with the anxiety of getting through this… really I'm even having issues concentrating on my daily jobs because this story has me excited… By the time of this chapter's posting, the next chapter is actually almost completed, so I don't foresee any issues for our regularly scheduled update out next week either.

So I want to hear what the readers think of the latest developments. I'm hoping to have caught at least a few readers off guard. Please leave a review!


	35. Crumbling Walls

Chapter thirty four… wow… It has been a while since we started this story with a simple "What if?" concept. Things have come a long way, and today we get into what I hope is the good stuff. Well… it's the good stuff to me anyway.

I wanted to warn everyone that this chapter is a far shot from the warm fuzzy feelings of the holiday season. This is where we start delving into how messed up I can make things. So read on, I hope you enjoy, and let's find out if this turns out to be what you were expecting.

* * *

Chapter 34: Crumbling Walls

* * *

Chichi noticed Goten shiver as the boy walked across the top of the lookout with Trunks, "Goten, come get your sweater, you're going to catch a cold out there!"

"I'm fine mom!" Goten protested, "It was just a…" Goten's eyes twitched as another shiver ran down his spine, "What's cold?"

Chichi was bringing Goten's sweater out to him when Goten reached into his shirt and pulled out the green prism that had been hanging against his chest. The translucent surface of the prism clouded over almost immediately from the exposure to moisture against its cold exterior. Goten looked confused as he regarded it when the prism changed colors from green to a dull grey.

"What does that mean?" Trunks asked looking worriedly at the prism as well.

Dende approached and put a hand over the prism. His expression sank and he began to pace for a moment, "This is not a good sign…"

"Mister Dende," Goten whimpered in concern, "Does this mean something is wrong with my brother?"

Dende put a hand on Goten's shoulder consolingly, "I'm sorry Goten, I'm afraid I have no way of knowing what's happening with Gohan and the others right now. The life force connection between Gohan and that prism you hold though is changing in a dark way… and that could be very bad."

Goten slowly moved his gaze downward to the floor of the temple. He stood there for a moment with his mind almost in a blank. The thoughts running through Goten's head began to upset him and he gripped the prism tight and ran across the lookout to the other side where everyone wouldn't be staring at him.

With his legs dangling off the side of the tower, Goten held the cold prism in his hands just looking sullenly into it. Trunks slowly walked up to Goten from behind hoping to say something to his friend. Goten felt him approaching, "I want to help them…"

Trunks sat down next to Goten, "Yeah, me too…"

Gohan rubbed his arms and shivered in the cold. Something was wrong, he felt tired, and dreadfully alone. Everything around him was dark, it made no difference if his eyes were open or closed. Gohan couldn't quite remember what was going on. The uneasy and dark floating sensation reminded him of entering the void. That thought triggered several others making him realize he had been in the void. He had been fighting Ru, and then it had turned out…

Gohan shook his head with a start and tried getting his bearings straight. He had been running from Ru because the other dimensional version of himself wanted to merge with him and create a Harmony. He had thought Ru had succeeded, but now he wasn't sure what was going on.

Gathering his energy, Gohan tried to create some light to shine his way through the blackness he found himself in. The only thing he made out in the darkness was his himself, everything else was consumed by nothingness.

It felt strange floating around in the darkness for so long. Gohan started to panic not wanting to be consumed by the blackness as well. He turned and looked and listened but there was nothing, no light, no sound, no up, and no down. The frustration was mounting and Gohan was getting ready to scream.

"You better be studying young man!" An authoritative woman's voice rang out.

Gohan's eyes widened as he turned with a start, "Mom?"

"I am mommy!" as Gohan turned around he found himself in a modest room. It was small with only a bed and a desk for furniture, and a small boy sat at the desk dutifully scribbling into a text book.

The door to the room opened and a woman with grey skin and white hair entered, "Aren't you being a good boy? Here I brought you a snack!" The woman placed the tray she brought with her onto the desk in the room. She walked right past Gohan, but acted as though he didn't even exist.

The young boy smiled and took a handful of the goop his mother had brought him and shoved it into his face, "Thanks mommy!"

"Just be sure you you're still paying attention to your reading while you're eating," the woman chuckled as she stepped out of the door.

"I can do that!" The boy replied and continued working.

"That's my little prodigy!" The mother smiled and left the boy to his studies.

Once the woman had left, Gohan moved closer to the desk to try and get a better look at the boy. "HAAAA!" The sound of someone on the attack startled Gohan and he turned around ready to defend himself.

A tall man once again with Grey scaly skin and white hair appeared to be training. The man shadow boxed as he floated through the air practicing his technique. The man held out his hand and began gathering his power in front of him creating an energy ball, "SORYAAA!" The ball split open in front and a stream of energy poured out from within it leaving a streak of light trailing across the orange sky.

"That was amazing daddy! You're so strong!" The boy from the other room, but slightly older looking ran over to the man as he touched down on the ground.

The man's scale plates softened into smoother skin as he reached down and lifted the boy up, "I can tell you're getting stronger too, you've been doing a lot of training haven't you?"

The boy nodded slowly, "When I have time away from my studies…"

The man laughed, "Yeah, your mother would kill us both if you weren't doing well with those!" The two looked happy laughing together on this bright peaceful day, "Come on Ru, let's go home and eat!"

"Alright!" the young Ru called happily as his father walked him home.

Gohan rubbed his face as he tried to make sense out of what he was seeing. He looked through his fingers and noticed the bright day had faded, giving way to a dark shadow. An explosion sounded in the distance and a loud hum caused Gohan to stare up at the sky.

In the air hovering over the planet was a huge spaceship. It covered the sky nearly from horizon to horizon. A hatch on the bottom of the spaceship opened and three aliens emerged and floated down to the surface.

Ru's father and several others who appeared to be warriors stood in front of them. Gohan noticed Ru and his mother hiding nearby. The alien in the center appeared to be the leader as the two at his sides stood slightly behind him, "I am called Saixis, Are you a xescapujin?"

With a slight nod, Ru's father addressed the alien, "I am, why is it you've come to our planet?"

The alien smiled diabolically, "I heard a legend while on another world. I was told an ancient, nearly extinct race called the xescapujin possessed a soul writing ability and could grant any person immortality. I have come to request having this gift bestowed upon me."

Ru's father looked to the ground quietly for a moment, "I'm not sure where you heard that from, but I'm afraid it was a lie, we have no such power to grant your wish."

"Are you sure about that?" Saixis held his hands out looking dismayed, "I've travelled oh so very far… my heart would be completely shattered if it were to turn out that my search all this time has been in vain."

One again Ru's father addressed the alien, "Then I regret to have to disappoint you, but again, no such power exists."

The moment the man finished his sentence two beams formed in Saixis' hands and blasted two of his comrades at his side. The powerful beams tore through the two warriors with ease immediately reducing their bodies to molten crisps, "NO!"

"Oh forgive me, my fragile heart takes bad news so poorly I'm afraid…" Saixis chuckled sinisterly, "But perhaps that outburst might have caused you to reconsider your abilities?"

"You… You monster…" Ru's father shook in anger, "I… I wouldn't grant you immortality even if I could!"

Saixis shrugged, "Then I suppose I have no further use of this planet…" With a finger extended, Saixis blasted a hole through Ru's father's abdomen. The man couldn't dodge the blast at all and fell to the ground bleeding badly.

"Konar!" Ru's mother cried as she ran from her hiding spot to her fallen husband.

"Get him!" The friends Ru's father had with him lunged into battle against the powerful invader. The two minions behind Saixis finally moved and sliced through the attackers before they came within ten feet of Saixis. Blood and body parts fell to the ground as the three laughed and floated back up to the ship. Ru watched as his father laid dying in his mother's arms and his other friends body parts were strewn about like refuse.

Gohan cringed at the awful sight. Looking over to Ru, he noticed the boy looked to be only nine or ten years old at this time. The ship in the sky lifted higher above the planet and a bright light began to form at the center underneath it.

"Ru!" Konar called with his dying breaths.

"Daddy!" tears flew from Ru's face as he finally ran over to the man.

"I'm sorry, I should have trained harder… I wasn't ready for someone as powerful as him…" Konar coughed out a wad of blood and cringed in pain.

"Please don't die daddy!" Ru shouted.

"Ru…" tears streamed down Konar's face as he saw the ship in the sky and knew what was about to happen, "Oh Ru… I'm sorry, but mommy and daddy are going to have to go away…"

Ru shook his head, "What are you saying daddy? No… I don't want to be alone!"

"I won't let you die son!" Konar took his wife's hand in his own, "You have to help me…"

The woman couldn't stop crying, "Oh my baby… This isn't fair…"

"We have to though… Or else… we lose everything…" Konar and his wife both held their hands forward to their son.

"You're scaring me!" Ru cried but was immediately silenced by the odd sensation of being ripped out of his own body. A great luminosity surrounded his body.

A strange energy manifested in Konar's fingers and with his wife's help he was able to move his hand to draw marks and symbols onto the light that surrounded their son, "With these glyphs, your soul is attached to your body for all time. Go on in our place, be eternal, and make a difference with your life."

The light was retracted into Ru's body with a power sling that sent him to his knees. He felt strange and light headed, "What did you do?"

"Ru honey, listen to me!" His mother hugged him and held him tight, "I'm sorry, but this is going to still hurt very much… But you will be alright, do you understand? You're going to live and be fine! Just always remember no matter what that I love you!"

Konar used the last of his energy to reach over and touch his son, "We love you!"

Ru couldn't even breathe as tears completely enshrouded his vision, he was so scared. The light from the ship manifested into a beam and shot down at the planet. The surface erupted into flames and quickly spread across the entire crust of their world.

Ru's parents exploded on impact from the shockwave. Ru screamed as his own body was overtaken by flames. The entire planet exploded sending remnants and debris in every direction.

Everything around Gohan darkened once again. Gohan almost shivered from the cold as he started piecing together what he had been seeing. He realized he was looking through Ru's memories, no matter what he saw though he told himself he had to keep concentrating on his defenses.

A light rose from over the horizon, a young Ru laid on the ground slowly awakening from unconsciousness. The world around them was strange and alien with murky skies and plants that curled around themselves.

Ru pushed himself to his feet and looked around. He was lost, unsure of anything around him when his memories began to resurface. His dad had fought that alien Saixis… and then both his mom and dad were killed. His entire home planet was blown up, he had been standing on it, but somehow he was okay now. He checked over himself seeing his body was intact and unblemished. His parents had saved him; they sacrificed themselves so he could live. The more the notion sank in the more Ru began to tremble and cry. He sank to his knees letting the tears fall.

"Why are you crying?" Gohan saw someone new enter the memory. There was a tall man with dark purple skin approaching Ru.

Ru looked apprehensive at the man, but saw no reason he couldn't be trusted, "My parents were killed, I don't know where I am, I'm angry, hungry, and alone… why shouldn't I be crying?" Ru answered bitterly.

"Because you still have spirit," The man pulled off his robe and draped it over Ru's bare shoulders. Ru noticed the man was wearing what resembled a warrior's gi back home underneath. The man got up and started to walk away.

"Do you fight?" Ru asked gulping down some anxiety.

The man stopped and turned only his head to look at Ru, "Why do you ask?"

Ru wrapped the robe tighter around himself, "Nevermind…"

The man turned and came closer to Ru, "You're looking for power, the power to put an end to the man who killed your family?"

Ru stared ahead unfocused for a moment before nodding, "Yes…"

The man ran a hand across his head in thought, "I can train you…"

"You would?" Ru asked quickly with a slight hint of excitement in his voice.

The man raised a hand and silenced Ru, "I don't normally take pupils, but I can sense a great power within you, if harnessed that power could be put to good use…" The man regarded Ru for a moment who looked hopeful that the man would respond favorably, "What's your name?"

The simple answer came, "Ru, sir…"

"Ru…" The man started walking off leaving Ru standing in place. Looking over his shoulder the man barked, "Well? Come on then! We'll at least put you in some clothes of your own."

Startled by the man's raised voice, Ru nodded and followed after him.

"Don't you ever grow boy?" The scene changed again and Gohan noticed the same man, though looking considerably more worn than in the last memory was standing to the side as Ru trained with heavy weights.

"Maybe it's the twenty tons on each arm keeping me from getting taller?" Ru remarked sarcastically.

Gohan noticed Ru's height in this memory matched his own. Though Ru appeared to be about a year or two older than in the last memory, the man training him looked considerably older.

"What have I told you about whining?" The man barked hoarsely.

Ru grinned as he turned around and prepared for the blast he knew was coming. The man fired hundreds of energy blasts at Ru who had to dodge them while being weighted down by monstrously heavy wrist and ankle braces. Ru hopped and flipped over each one retaining a good deal of grace despite the handicap. Ru dodged all the way over to his sensei when the man pushed into super speed to move behind Ru and punch at the boy. Ru turned around and blocked the punch, their arms met in between their bodies and they grinned at each other as they pushed with near equal force.

The scenery changed again, flashing quickly between showing Gohan other worlds the two travelled to. Many trials rose to face them, and they surpassed each one.

The next memory depicted the surface of a dark planet. The wind blew fiercely across an arid ruined land of iron and concrete. The source of the gusts approached, and Gohan recognized the enormous ship Saixis had come to Ru's planet on earlier. The ship settled over the area and atop one of the crumbling buildings Ru stood staring at the vessel.

The hatch on the bottom opened as the two minions of Saixis descended upon the planet. They noticed Ru and approached him. Ru pulled the hood off of his head and watched the aliens approach. One of the minions stopped for a moment shocked by Ru's appearance, "A xescapujin?"

"I requested an audience with Saixis…" Ru's eyes narrowed and his words were spoken with a harsh edge, too harsh for one looking so young.

The alien in front regarded Ru carefully, "Do not feel offense, I am the commandant of his Excellency's great fleet. I assure you that my presence equates to his utmost concern in the matter."

"You had something to offer us?" The other alien asked curiously.

Ru nodded, "I heard a rumor in my travels that Saixis has been scouring the stars for the secret to immortality…"

"A xescapujin speaking of immortality, are you perhaps insinuating that the rumors of your kind are true?" The alien smirked.

"If the offer is to my liking perhaps…" Ru continued the smug façade.

The two aliens assessed the situation for a moment, "What is it you desire?"

"I desire to discuss my terms with Saixis himself, not with his Neanderthal cronies," The two looked insulted but quickly cooled their tempers.

"Follow us…" Wishing to please their master, the two aliens lead Ru up to the ship.

The ship was just as enormous on the inside. Long winding corridors led in countless directions. Ru was doing his best not to look lost in the grand vessel. The two aliens led Ru into blank white room, "Wait here," They bid him as they presumably left to meet with their master and inform him of the situation.

Ru just wanted to get close enough Saixis that he could challenge him directly without interference. A strange feeling crept down Ru's spine as he worried what might be happening when the walls around him began to glow. A strange force held Ru in place and several holographic green lines swept across his body.

The light faded and Ru was released from its hold, "What was that?"

"A xescapujin he says…." A low chuckle filled the room through some kind of communication system. Ru recognized the voice immediately as Saixis.

"Is this how treat a guest baring a gift you so desire? My price has just gone up!" Ru shouted hoping to end the games holding up their meeting.

"A great reward indeed lies prepared for the one who truly brings me my wish of immortality, but such a person is not you is it?" The room filled with silence after Saixis's sentence.

Ru hoped the man hadn't discovered the truth already, "What are you talking about? I'm a xescap and I do bring with me the gift of immortality."

"Wrong!" Saixis interjected immediately, "You are half xescapujin, which means you are unable to perform the ritual for attaining immortality. Pity… though tell me boy… where are your parents? I'm sure I'd much rather speak with them."

Ru looked to the ground, his fist opened and clenched repeatedly as his anger was building up faster than he could quell it, "My parents… are dead…."

"Oh… isn't that a shame…" There was no sincerity in Saixis voice that he felt bad for the boy's loss at all.

"They died on planet Grouge… You remember that place don't you?" sparks of energy snapped across Ru's fists as his hair began to spike taller, "You destroyed that planet… RIGHT AFTER YOU KILLED MY FATHER!" Ru threw his hands to the side emitting a powerful shockwave of energy that destroyed the white panels in the room and blew open the exits, "And now I'm going to stop you myself…"

Ru marched forward into the next room coming face to face again with Saixis's two elite guards, "It was plain to see you were lying to us kid…" The shorter alien smirked.

"Coming all the way out here to avenge your weakling father, at least the boy has courage," the tall alien lowered his stance.

"I remember the day we went to your planet and killed your dad now!" The expression on the other alien's face contorted into a grotesque smile, "It used to bother me how easy it was to kill people who had the power to make others immortal. After finding a few of the annoying maggots though we come to find out the Xescapujin's ability has no effect on their own race. That pretty much makes you an endangered species doesn't it?"

Ru clenched his fingers tight becoming even angrier by the alien's words, "At least you don't have to worry about killing me… Since I'm only half Xescap, the immortal thing worked just fine."

"Is that so?" The two aliens leered at each other, "Then you won't mind if we put that to the test!" With their arms together, the two guards combined their energy into an energy wave. They built up their energy incredibly fast leaving Ru to put his arms up in defense of the oncoming blast.

The beam never touched Ru. Once the light settled everyone in the room noticed an old man standing in front of the boy protecting him, "The traitor…"

Ru's sensei looked down to him, "You don't have the time to waste with these buffoons. Find Saixis now, leave these two to me!"

With a nod, Ru ran out of the room as he was told leaving the three of them to battle it out. Ru scaled the ship, running through the corridors trying to home in on Saixis's power. Minor guards would jump in front of him, but he would quickly bash them out of the way.

At the end of the corridor was a grand hallway. The ceiling stood at least thirty feet above the floor, and the grand double doors at the end of the hallway took up nearly the entire wall. It was so well decorated, and he was so close to Saixis's power that he knew it just had to be it.

After taking in a deep breath to psych himself up, Ru kicked the door in ready for the climactic battle.

"You are intruding on this dimension. You are hereby ordered leave this realm immediately and return to the dimension from whence you came. Comply and no harm will come to you," Ru looked around the room and noticed Saixis surrounded by several other alien beings wearing blue suits and with halos above their heads.

"Do you know who I am? I am Saixis! I rule over any realms I see befitting of me! Be gone from my sight or I will crush you as I have countless others across infinity!" Saixis threatened.

"I believe this to be a good opportunity…" Gohan turned at the sound of the voice and saw the Sovereign Kai enter the room, "This criminal is indeed powerful, he should prove an excellent challenge for our newest recruit." Gohan was taken by surprise as Lao entered behind the Kai.

Ru looked from face to face, his anxiety becoming apparent on his troubled features, "What's going on here?"

One of the Sovereign Guards approached Ru, "Don't worry, let us handle things here."

Saixis gathered a large sphere of energy above his head, "I'll take you all down with the power of but a single digit on my hand!"

With blinding speed, Lao appeared in front of Saixis and delivered a focused punch to the warlord's chest. The wind was knocked from Saixis' lungs and his concentration was completely lost causing the energy ball to dissipate. Lao split into three forms and elbowed him down at the same time his other forms came from behind and crushed his knees into Saixis' back.

One of the girls held out her arms in front of her and created an energy ring which bound Saixis around the head, arms, and abdomen, sealing off his energy, "That will hold him."

"Easy," One of the larger Sovereign Guards stepped in and hoisted Saixis across his shoulder, "All secure, let's get this scumbag back where he belongs."

"Prepare for dimension shift," The girl who bound Saixis began channeling her rifting powers.

"Wait!" Ru was still trying to get over his shock at everything that had been happening, "You… You can't just take him… He's mine! He… he's done so many awful things! I need to make sure he suffers for them!"

Lao looked sadly at Ru and tried offering him a consoling gesture, "We'll see to it justice is served, don't worry. You can concentrate on more important things now like rebuilding what he destroyed."

"But…" The Sovereign Guards were overtaken by light and began to fade, "…I've devoted everything to this… YOU CAN'T TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME!" Ru quickly pulled power into his hands and blasted at the guard holding Saixis. His blast flew right through the disappearing bodies as they completely vanished.

Ru stared at the spot his target had been standing only a moment prior. He had been so close, he was within reach of accomplishing what he had spent so long training to do. Then those… people… they came and ruined everything, "You didn't save my home, you didn't save my family, but you did come eventually… in time to take the revenge that was mine to have!"

The top of the audience chamber blew off of the ship unable to contain the sudden build up of power Ru exuded from his body. He was completely blinded by an unparalleled rage. He flew up above the ship and looked over the entire cursed object. With his energy still boiling, he gathered a mighty energy ball to his hands and threw it at the vessel. The ball collided with the ship's center forcing it to the ground.

The hull of the ship cracked under the pressure as rivulets of energy came bursting forth from breaks in the metal. Ru gripped his fist tight, igniting his energy ball and destroying the entire ship. The explosion, bright enough to be witnessed from the orbiting moons, sent debris scattering across the abandoned world.

Ru took in a few breaths as the wreckage settled, slowly calming himself. His anger turned to tears of frustration. A weak energy pattern pulled his attention toward the surface of the planet. Ru gasped in realization of what he'd just done.

Immediately flying down to the surface, Ru lifted and threw several hunks of molten metal to the side uncovering the tattered body of his sensei, "No… no…" Ru's eyes teared further this time from sorrow and guilt.

"Ru…" The man barely croaked out through his blood filled throat.

"Don't talk; I need to get you help!" Ru lifted another heavy piece of the destroyed ship which had been covering his sensei's lower body only to discover that most of it was gone. Ru covered his mouth feeling sick.

"It's alright Ru… it's no use… I'm… I'm not going to make it through this…" the man quivered and coughed out a great deal of blood.

Ru could barely see through his tear stained eyes, "I'm sorry! This is my fault, I killed you!"

Ru's sensei lifted his hand slightly, "You stopped Saixis… and that's all… that really matters…" He coughed out more blood and started heaving violently.

Ru held onto his sensei, "I… I couldn't even…" the man heaved again and collapsed. His eyes shut and Ru could no longer feel any life force present in the body in his arms, "I didn't even do that much…"

Standing on his feet, Ru began stumbling around in the dark. Spread out fires from the wreckage the only sources of light in this whole place. Ru ran a hand through his hair and finally the stress overcame him. He fell to his knees and screamed to the heaves as loud as he could.

"There's still a way you can find him…" The new voice startled Ru. Floating a few inches in the air behind him stood a woman in a black robe and hat. She reminded Gohan of a taller Baba.

"Who are you?" Ru rubbed the emotions from his face.

"I'm Nurha, there are those who might call me a witch of sorts," her old crone like face scrunched as she smiled at Ru.

"What do you mean that I can find them? Who?" Ru asked.

Nurha pulled out a crystal ball from under her sleeve, "I saw you, denied your epic battle of vengeance with Saixis by the Sovereign Kai himself. He considers himself a god over reality and uses his little minions, the Sovereign Guards, to exact his law. But you… you're a special one, gifted one might say… One might also say you possess enough potential to learn techniques known to us witches that grant us the power to travel to alternate realms and dimensions."

Ru kept a suspicious eye on the witch, "You would teach me these techniques?"

"I might…" the crone sneered.

"Why would you do that?" Ru had to ask.

"The world is little of what it was… It might be said that at one time all of reality was teaming with prosperous life and beautiful chaos. That Kai wishes to bring all things to order, but one might say he is ignorant and does not understand the impact of his actions. I see much promise in your future, the possibility of fulfilling a wonderful ancient prophecy," The witch held her crystal ball forward showing images of Ru making the decisions of life and death across reality, "Work towards fulfilling your destiny and I will help in any way possible."

Ru thought for a moment, "If I do this then, are you saying that I can find Saixis again, and destroy him with my own hands?"

"Revenge can easily be yours… Learn what I have to teach you… and track him down to the end of time…" The witch held out her empty hand to Ru.

It took a moment and another gaze at the crystal ball, but Ru accepted the proffered hand. Time jumped again, and Ru trained in further techniques; rifting abilities to allow him to move between dimensions. Starting with jumping between parallel threads of his own universe, he was then after able to cross between entirely different dimensions all together. It was a difficult technique and required intense focus, but Ru was dismissed by Nurha as a dimension crosser.

A large castle fortified by steel and mortar basked in the shadows of a crater on a large moon. The gates to the castle were blown open, the guards flung away like rag dolls. Gohan watched the memory play out as Ru stormed through the castle, cloaked in thick noir.

More guards approached but failed to even touch Ru with their weapons or attacks. Ru used his power to pin one roughly against the wall and started crushing his bones against the brick, "Where is Saixis?"

At the end of the castle was a familiar tall double door. It fit Saixis's personality decorating his home so lavishly. Pushing open the door, Ru entered Saixis's personal chambers.

Upon Ru's entrance to the room, his hearing was greeted by an assortment of unfamiliar sounds. In the center of the room was a veiled canopy bed, machines surrounded it on all sides. One machine was responsible for the constant beeping sound, another machine made a whir of mechanized breathing.

Ru approached the bed and pulled back on the curtain. Lying before him was a withered old man attached to tubes and apparatuses barely sustaining his life.

"No…" Ru turned and walked away, his breath once again coming in raspy. He turned violently and marched back to the bedside, "You're supposed to fight me!"

The man's eye barely twitched in response to Ru's yelling.

The chamber doors opened an array of people ran into the room, "Please don't hurt my grandpa!" a young voice shouted from amongst them as they surrounded the bed in defense of the elder.

Hearing the voices somehow triggered the man to stir. His eyes opened he looked across the room. His old brain identified Ru after a good look, "You've hardly changed… immortal…"

"Don't talk to me!" Ru shot back disgustedly.

"You've come all this way… just to watch me die… well… I hate to disappoint you…" The man's breathing became was becoming more ragged.

"I came here to fight you! To put an end to all the horrible things you've done!" Ru lashed out.

"And so even after all my attempts… all my searches… in the end what you say comes to pass…" The machine making the beeping noises began to repeat the pattern faster. Saixis looked to his family surrounding his bed, "I love you all…" the beeps stopped and became a constant hum as his eyes closed for the last time.

The people standing around him let their tears run, especially the young ones present.

"He loved his family…" Ru stumbled backward taking in everything that happened. "MY FAMILY LOVED ME! BUT HE KILLED THEM ALL!" The adults grabbed onto the children and held them close as Ru babbled incoherently, almost psychotically.

Everything Ru had been through started replaying through his head. From the destruction of his home world to the Sovereign Guards taking Saixis away that first time and all the grueling training he endured between it all. Saixis had been returned to his home realm and allowed to live his life out in comfort and luxury while those he had caused to suffer were dead or tormented.

"Damn you Saixis… Damn you Sovereigns… DAMN ALL OF YOU!" Ru waved his hand in the air amassing a great energy and pointed it at Saixis's remaining family. He threw the blast. The family huddled in terror for the brief moment they realized the attack had been released.

"So this is where you've been hiding…" Gohan turned around finding the real Ru behind him, "It's time to put an end to your hide and seek. I've waited long enough; this opportunity will not be wasted."

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End Chapter

We haven't had a chapter that long in a while. And in all honesty it could have been a lot longer. I really wanted to avoid going into too much detail in the whole memory-scape thing. But scrunching up someone's life story into one chapter is… well it's impossible, but I think we got enough in there to make some good comparative points and also to see how things became the way they are. The end is near…

Hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review, I really want to know what everyone thinks.


	36. Faith in Ruin

I'm sure I've got quite a few people upset at me that there were no updates over the holidays… I'm sorry but I'm hoping for a little holiday grace and forgiveness on this one. I was out of town visiting family, and I always seem to overestimate my family's Internet capabilities. Anyway to make it up to you all I wanted to have a rather dark chapter. Consider that fair warning, haha! This probably wouldn't have made a good Christmas chapter anyway. Hope you all enjoy it!

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Chapter 35: Faith in Ruin

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The scene around Gohan immediately faded into darkness leaving just Gohan and Ru facing each other in the abysmal black expanse.

"What did you see?" Ru asked quietly.

Gohan stiffened slightly. He wanted to say the right thing, but the words were having trouble forming, "I saw… that you're hurt…"

One of Ru's eyes quirked, "I'm hurt?" He laughed darkly, "I don't think you really understand…"

"I mean things have happened in your life… and you've allowed the events to consume you…" Gohan let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, "You could have been so good… You have so much… potential… You could have turned the things that have happened in your life into motivation for becoming something more… something beautiful."

"You saw now how unjust the universe is!" Ru's emotions flared, "After seeing what I've gone through do you really think I was left with a choice as to what actions I could have taken?"

"There's always a choice!" Gohan shot back immediately. "That's the difference… it really is the only difference… between a hero… and a villain."

"That's what you don't understand yet Gohan… I am the hero here," Ru approached Gohan with utmost seriousness on his face, "A true hero knows when to make sacrifice. A hero knows when to let some die so that many can live. You've had to deal with that decision haven't you?"

Gohan stared with his mouth hanging open. He wanted so bad to say that there's a way around that mindset, but watching so many people on earth die so recently while he recovered in preparation to fight Majin Buu left Gohan with weakened resolve.

A subtle smile crossed Ru's lips, "The only issue here is that you're still young and naïve and haven't come to accept reality for what it is. Why don't I show you?"

"There's nothing you can show me that would make me change my mind!" Gohan shouted in protest.

"How about we take a little trip first then you can decide?" Before Gohan could say anything more the scenery around them expanded from the deep black and molded into a green landscape. The ground, the sky, the water, it was all formed from different shades of serene green.

"Bang," Gohan turned around with a start and watched as Frieza fired a death beam from his finger that flew past Piccolo, Krillin, himself, Vegeta, and hit Dende behind them all.

The scene replayed in slow motion, Gohan's eyes widened as he watched the beam tear through his little friend. His green skin burned as the beam bore through him until it tore through the other side bursting the namek child's back open from the force of the exit.

The younger Gohan turned around in horror, "No, Dende!" The heat wave of the blast caught up with the death beam and practically incinerated the small body by the time Gohan was able to react.

In anger, the small Gohan leapt at Frieza to counter attack, however each move the boy made was easily dodged by the powerful tyrant.

Knowing he was only watching his own memories, Gohan still couldn't help himself as he took a few steps closer to Dende's fallen form and kneeled down beside him, "I'm so sorry..."

"Doesn't it drive you mad that you didn't have the power to do anything about that?" Ru asked as he approached again.

"Stop it…" Gohan demanded darkly.

"This time you won't come back!" Gohan could hardly look at what was coming next. Frieza had hit Krillin with an energy beam. Rather than directly afflicting Krillin, the energy nested itself within Krillin's body. Frieza manipulated it to suspend Krillin against his will thrusting him into the sky.

"Frieza, stop this!" Goku demanded. Frieza only laughed as he began to expand the energy. The pressure built up within Krillin, bloating his body from the inside causing his tissues to painfully expand and stretch. Krillin screamed in pain unable to do anything to stop Frieza from contorting his body in such an excruciating way.

Blood secreted from Krillin's pores as his skin stretched the point it was no longer able to keep Krillin's body intact. "Help me!" Krillin cried only a moment before the expansion was too much and his body literally burst from the pressure littering the area with fine segments of the man they had called their friend.

Gohan grit his teeth, his power spiked as anger began to consume him. It pained him so much to watch his friends suffer.

"Together we could stop this. We could see to it that atrocities like these cease in every world," Ru came closer to Gohan and tried to appeal to him in a comforting manner, "You want to make that difference I can see it! And together we can make all the difference needed in the whole of infinity."

Gohan took a few breaths and turned his head only slightly to look at Ru through the corner of his eye, "You're not like this though… The decisions you've made have been selfish… I'd never merge like this with someone like you."

"So different are we?" Ru backed up a bit.

"I'm not like you… I don't hurt others to get what I want," Gohan defended.

On the outside, Gohan was surrounded by both the Sovereign and Supreme Kais, Phips, and Vegito, "Master Kai, please tell me, what are our options?"

The Sovereign Kai sighed at the Supreme Kai's question, "No change has occurred as of yet, this means that Gohan is struggling against the merger from the inside… this is a good thing. It gives us time…"

"Time to do what?" Phips grew impatient watching over his friend and feeling the unreal energy fluctuations happening within him, "If we're going to do something we need to do it now otherwise even the great hotel in the sky will be lit up with no vacancy."

The Sovereign Kai closed his eyes in thought, "There is but one guaranteed chance that we have to prevent a new Harmony from forming and decimating the whole of creation…"

"You know of a way? What is it, hurry!" Shin asked excitedly.

"Currently and partially due to the unstable nature of the void, both Gohan and Ru are in a state of physical flux. The merger has begun but is suspended due to their ongoing mental struggle. There is nothing we can do to aid what is happening within. From the outside however…"

"Enough with your cryptic banter, what are our options?" Vegito asked clearly annoyed.

The Kai looked as Vegito as if he didn't want to say anything at the moment, but gave in and finished his statement, "As Gohan and Ru are struggling internally they are defenseless on the outside. Ru is immortal; however… if we were to end Gohan, then a merger would no longer be possible…"

Phips's eyes widened hardly comprehending that the Kai would even suggest such a thing.

"That's not going to happen!" Vegito shouted angrily.

"You wanted options… I'm not saying it's a favorable one, but it is the only action we have available to take… and is an action we must take should it become apparent that Gohan is losing the struggle," The Kai's words were spoken softly, yet with deathly seriousness.

"You'd have to do it over my dead body," Vegito rose against the impending order immediately.

"I know how you must feel, believe me I know better than you could possibly imagine, but I am telling you that should the moment come that we no longer have a choice… you will not defy me," The Kai replied to Vegito without any sign of fear in the face of the powerful saiyan.

Shin looked back and forth from Vegito to the Sovereign Kai. It was a terrible balance to weigh in. On one side ending Gohan would stop the disaster of a new Harmony forming, but on the other hand they would lose one of the universe's greatest champions.

Vegito continued to stare down the Sovereign Kai, neither of them blinked as their intimidating presences pushed against each other. Finally Vegito snorted, "It's a good thing for you then that such a decision will not be necessary…" he crossed his arms and turned his back on the Kai, "Gohan will prove himself again by defeating this enemy without assistance."

The Sovereign Kai nodded and kneeled back down by Gohan, "I hope with all my heart you are right… In the names of all the heavens I hope you are right…"

Ru crossed his arms as he took a few wobbly steps around their mental arena. The memory around them had faded and they once again found themselves in the blackness, "Amazing how you continue to condemn my actions and decisions as if you are free of guilt in your life."

There was no reaction from Gohan. His head was cast slightly down; his bangs cast a dark shadow over his eyes as he watched Ru's continued mockery.

"You're not completely innocent, even you have a dark side… don't you?" Ru leered dangerously, "Oh yes… there are moments when you thirst for power, and chaos… it's part of who you are, you'd be miserable living a life of absolute peace."

"I…" Gohan grit his teeth deciding he had no reason to defend himself against Ru's words.

"Gohan! What are you waiting for? Finish him!" Gohan saw himself looking identical to his current state, standing in front of Cell who was staring at his other self with a look of almost sheer terror.

"No…" Gohan took a few steps forward staring menacingly into Cell's eyes, striking more chords of ire, basking in his own intimidation factor, taking pleasure from the fear reflected on the android's face, "I want him to suffer…"

"Spoken like a true savior…" Ru stood by Gohan as they watched. Gohan had deliberately struck Cell hard enough to cause as much pain as he could without killing him.

"It's true… I've made mistakes…" Gohan turned to Ru, "But the difference between us…" The memory skipped forward a few moments, Cell was on the verge of self destructing. Gohan encased Cell inside an energy shield and floated them up high into the atmosphere. Up and away from everything, Gohan ignited Cell within the confines of the shield, "I took responsibility for the trouble I caused!" The explosion within the shield tore at Gohan's body, together both Gohan and Ru watched as the blast ripped away at Gohan's clothes, then skin, making Gohan scream as his body charred. The shield collapsed and with a shockwave of finality what remained of Gohan's body was ground down, burnt into a fine ash dust, and blown away.

Gohan stared at Ru, almost challenging him to find something else to make Gohan doubt himself. Ru pressed on, "You accuse me of making poor decisions, yet the decisions you made had all the potential to turn out just as poorly. You were _lucky_ enough to have the opportunity to correct your mistakes before they affected others. But you would have continued to make poor decisions if they presented themselves."

"There's no way you can justify that claim," Gohan retorted.

"I don't have to; you did it for me…" Ru smiled, "It's been here the entire time."

"What are you talking about now?" Everything around Gohan changed, he found himself inside a narrow chute. There was a loose tile under him that he was able to move out of the way and climb down from the space above the ceiling.

The room below was an elegant bedroom, decorated with fine paintings, gems, and gold. Lying in the bed against the far side of the room was a boy, maybe seven, possibly eight years old. Gohan had always heard rumors that the bandit king might have bore a single heir to his kingdom of thieves.

Gohan slowly drew his kunai dagger from the holster at his side; the opportunity seemed too great to pass. The perfect chance for revenge… the bandit king obviously loved his son, keeping him adorned and surrounded in such lavish fashion. If he killed the boy then the bandit king would feel that pain too… the same pain Gohan felt after that man slaughtered his family.

With a light press, Gohan centered his blade over the boy's heart. The boy began to stir feeling something odd in his sleep. His eyes fluttered slightly open not fully comprehending what was happening around him.

With both hands on the knife Gohan lifted it slightly before forcefully bringing it down and driving it through the boy's chest. The boy yelled in bed as the dagger pierced him and blood from the arterial wound spurted out splashing Gohan's face.

The doors to the bedroom swung open as Saixis ran in and gasped seeing the knife protruding from his son's chest. Gohan turned his head only slightly, a glint of sinister delight on his blood stained features as he regarded Saixis's horrified expression, "How does it feel?"

Gohan ripped the knife out of the boy causing his body to spasm before falling lifeless back to the bed.

"NOOOOO!" Gohan hid his face in his hands as tears broke through the spaces between his fingers. His body trembled with emotion, "I didn't do that… I didn't do that!"

"Are you sure you didn't?" Ru asked calmly and only elicited more sobs from Gohan.

The Sovereign Kai moved his hand from Gohan's forehead, "His defenses are failing…"

"Give him time…" Vegito spoke lowly.

"There is no time left!" The Sovereign Kai shook his head to sort through his own emotions.

"I… I don't believe…" Phips stumbled around wishing for something, anything to come and save them.

"This isn't fair…" The Supreme Kai gazed mournfully down at the boy.

"It really isn't…" The Sovereign Kai agreed.

Vegito treaded softly to Gohan and kneeled down to look into his face and stroke his hair, "There has to be a way…"

"I'm sorry…" A bright glow overcame Gohan's body. His physical features were beginning to melt away, "It has begun… We must move quickly or all is lost."

The streams of universes surrounding those gathered began to pulsate in different and bright colors, "The universes themselves are reacting to the merger taking place," Shin pointed out while staring at the ethereal energy in awe.

"Gohan was always connected to this place somehow, it makes sense that it would reflect such a grand transformation about to take place if we allow it," The Sovereign Kai stood above Gohan's body and held out his hands.

Vegito watched the Kai move. Although it was apparent he was in deep concentration trying to focus on a definite faraway place. He placed two fingers together at his side ready to act in the right moment.

Breaking both the concentration of Vegito and the Sovereign Kai, Phips jumped onto the Kai's back, "Master Kai! Master Kai!"

"Blast it Phips! What?" The Sovereign Kai's stress field was ready to overflow.

Phips grabbed onto the Kai's head and turned it in another direction, "LOOK!"

At first not sure of Phips's antics the Sovereign Kai did see something far off caught in the energy stream of the nearby universe. It gave off a multi-colored shimmer and seemed to be glowing in relation to Gohan, "My word…" The Kai looked to Vegito with a panicked look on his face, "HURRY! Retrieve the Realis and bring it here!"

Vegito looked also and saw the glowing weapons and quickly teleported to grab it and bring it back. Vegito gripped the massive object firmly, "Can this help Gohan?"

"We're inside the void, and the Realis is an ultimate artifact of infinity… anything is possible!" The Kai hurriedly tried to think, "We just need to use it correctly…"

"What do we do?" Vegito gazed into the sword willing the answer to strike.

"We have no time… and I'll be honest that this may work or it may not. You are the only one capable of attempting this as no one else possesses the strength to even lift that weapon, you must try!" The Kai practically begged Vegito hoping for a favorable answer.

"Just tell me what do I do?" Vegito asked hurriedly.

The Kai instructed, "Take the sword… concentrate on your son Goku… focus your saiyan pride toward him Vegeta… channel the mystic energies of the sword… and stab it through him."

"You want me to stab him with this sword?" Vegito asked disbelievingly.

"There's no time, we must do this now!" The Kai implored.

Vegito stared at the sword. The part of his mind that was Goku just couldn't bring himself to hurt his own son… not again… The part of his mind that was Vegeta acknowledged that this could be a trick of the Kai's to kill Gohan as originally planned without them being able to interfere.

The group of them heard a grunt and turned to see Piccolo lifting Gohan up and holding him steady in front of them. He looked into Gohan's diminishing face for a moment before turning to Vegito, "Do it!"

Vegito nodded and readied himself. He held the Realis before him, pointing the blade straight up and did as the Kai told him and concentrated on both channeling the essence of the weapon and freeing Gohan's spirit.

There was something unnatural about the weapon in Vegito's hands. It felt like more than an object, more than a piece of forged metal. As if it exuded a life force all its own; as if the weapon itself had a soul. Vegito silenced all thoughts in his mind save for one, the wish to save Gohan.

The Realis burst once again into energy in Vegito's hands. The universes surrounding them blended in with the energy matching the sword in intensity of light. As Vegito held the sword a new sensation over took him. He could feel within the Realis, as the blade gave off its light he felt as though the sword itself were… singing… A hymn touched his own soul and threatened to overwhelm him. He somehow understood though. The sword and Gohan were connected. The only reason Gohan had been able to remove the weapon was because the weapon itself had allowed it to happen. The reason Vegito was able to wield the weapon now was because it wanted something… A whisper echoed across his mind saying only "He is not awake…"

Taking a strong hold, Vegito pointed the Realis downward and yelled as he thrust it into Gohan's body.

Gohan's eyes opened wide as the sword pierced through him. A long trail of energy connected him with the Realis and began to swirl all around them. His body shook and heaved trying to draw energy to deal with the pain.

"Help him… please help my brother…" Goten and Trunks stood by each other on top of Kami's tower holding onto the green prism Gohan had left with Goten. The two of them had their eyes closed in concentration as they channeled their energy into it.

"Gohan!" Vegito called as he concentrated harder on his desire to have Gohan back; to keep Gohan safe forever.

The light surrounding Gohan shone brighter and began to concentrate at Gohan's back. The light formed mass, and as a ball of energy it separated from Gohan and was repelled away. The light fell and reformed Ru's physical body.

Vegito pulled the Realis back from Gohan's abdomen. Both the sword and Gohan immediately lost their glow as Gohan threatened to fall forward, but Piccolo kept him firmly grasped. The area of the void returned to its normal state as Piccolo gently set Gohan down.

"Is he?" Vegito asked as everyone gathered around.

Piccolo placed a hand over the hole in Gohan's stomach. He applied his own energy, but it seemed to already be closing on its own, "He's alright… he's going to be alright…"

The Sovereign Kai breathed a sigh of great relief and smiled again at his star pupil, "How you never cease to amaze me…"

"Oh my head…" With a hand clutching his forehead, Ru was slowly pushing himself to his feet, "Oh… it was you sorry lot… you're the ones that just had to go and interfere again…"

With a flash like burst of energy, Vegito teleported in front of Ru and with his arms crossed stared the warrior down, "Things have come far enough… You've endangered us all for the last time… Now you have to deal with me and let me give you fair warning… I am _very_ angry…"

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End Chapter

And now we're approaching the climax! Does Vegito have what it takes to stop Ru? Is Gohan really alright? Don't miss the Ru saga finale next time on ZAT!

Thanks a lot everyone, please leave a comment or review! Hope to see you next time!


	37. The Face of Change

I promised the finale of the fight within a week and here it is! The climax, the final big bang kind of thing! I won't talk too much; I just hope everyone remembers some of the little details that have happened earlier in the story for this part. Please enjoy!

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Chapter 36: The Face of Change

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Vegito floated dauntingly a few feet in the air above Ru with his arms crossed. Vegito's expression read pure disgust towards Gohan's other worldly counterpart.

Ru rubbed the temples of his head as his shoulders shook slightly from pent up laughter, "One thing I'll admit about your kind… you show great amounts of determination. You're horribly lacking in vision though."

"You're the one who's taken things way too far Ru…" a bolt of static jumped across Vegito's arms as he tensed slightly.

"I see it in your eyes that you're doing this because you care for Gohan… but can't you see this is the best thing that could have ever possibly happened to him? Your son can join me and become a god to quell all evils across the megaverse! Never again would he fear, never again would he hurt, never again would he feel sorrow…" Vegito made no motions as Ru spoke, "Isn't that what any parent would want for their child?"

The air was still and silent for a moment while Vegito continued to stare Ru down. Ru seemed to be waiting for Vegito to reply when instead a fist crashed against his jaw. The sound of impact echoed across the infinite expanse of the void as Ru was hurled over the ethereal surface of the dimensional stream.

Quickly regaining control of his flight, Ru rubbed his jaw and stared angrily down at Vegito, "Don't be a fool!"

"What sort of parent would wish an eternity of being fused with the likes of you upon their own child?" Vegito snorted as he slowly floated across the glowing stream closer to Ru, "Your chances are up boy, I'm sick of hearing your voice rant in your delirious rancor. You have one of two options available to you. One is you run… turn around and run like the despicable spec of filth that you are, or two… you stick around and let me take my fill of beating you into a pulp again and again until you're too traumatized to reform your body anymore. Personally I hope you choose option two…"

Ru grit his teeth feeling slightly intimidated as he watched Vegito float closer. His eyes shifted from Vegito to Gohan's limp form. Gohan hadn't woken back up yet and was only guarded by the namek and the weak Kais.

A grin crossed Ru's lips, "Fine, let's see if you really have what it takes… old man…" Ru snickered as he powered up, pushing his power level to its max and hardening his scale like skin.

Vegito smirked noticing Ru's posture, "I should have probably warned you… I feel quite rested right now…" Vegito tensed his muscles and yelled as his power gathered around him. His hair spiked and became gold before extending down his back. Once his features hardened he charged into Ru at full speed.

With widened eyes Ru tried to turn to see keep track of Vegito. The fused saiyan was fast enough to disappear from his sight. The next glimpse Ru caught of Vegito was his fist landing in his abdomen. Taken by surprise from the powerful blow, Ru's saliva was expelled from his mouth as it hung open in shock and the rest of his body was thrown back.

Not about to give him a chance, Vegito swung around and kicked Ru across the face. After sending the xescap flying, Vegito immediately flared his ki and took off in pursuit. Ru was kept adrift by a string of assaults from Vegito's fists.

"That's it… pick him apart…" Piccolo cheered through a hushed voice. Piccolo's hand remained over the hole in Gohan's abdomen where he continued to siphon more of his own power to try and close the wound.

"It would appear that fully powered Vegito is more than a match for Ru," The Supreme Kai observed as the two battled across the empty space before them.

"Indeed… but no matter, we should move Gohan away from this realm quickly lest we give Ru the chance to merge with him once again…" The Sovereign Kai looked over to Phips, "Prepare a dimensional gate."

"Wait…" Piccolo stated sternly, "Something's not right…"

Phips canceled out the rift forming in his hands, "And do tell to what level of not right might you be referring?" The glace from the side at Piccolo's eyes clearly told Phips to shut up before he started. Phips chuckled to himself and stepped away while saluting.

"It's Gohan… something has happened… I can sense something… different about him…" Piccolo tried focusing but the panic of the situation was interfering with his ability to rationalize.

Vegito pulled back his fist ready to throw a fierce punch. Energy gathered in his hand which he threw like a lightning strike. As his fist reached Ru however, the xescap's body transformed to energy allowing Vegito's fist to pass harmlessly through him.

While still in energy form, Ru wrapped his body around Vegito and tried to suffocate the saiyan. Vegito hardly flinched under the constricting squeeze and by simply powering up was able to force Ru off of him. Ru solidified and slid to a stop a short distance away from Vegito.

Ru's eyes darted back and forth between Vegito and Gohan. Once his concentration settled on the current threat he grinned and licked his lips, "I won't give up so easily… I've tasted perfection and I refuse to stop now until I have it."

"Such idiocy…" Vegito muttered uninterested in whatever Ru had to say and charged in to attack again. Vegito threw another punch to Ru's abdomen which this time was blocked. Ru twisted his body around and with an extended palm blasted Vegito away from him. Vegito immediately stopped himself and scoffed at Ru's defense, "You call that an attack? I think it almost tickled."

"You two together are quite strong aren't you?" Ru's discerning eyes climbed up and down Vegito's form, "If Gohan and I had managed to complete our merger it would be laughable at how insignificant you would become."

"I hardly see how that's important right now as it's never going to happen," Vegito's steel defense remained up and ready.

"It just excites me is all…" Ru chuckled to himself, "I see how powerful you have become from your pathetic excuse of a fusion and it thrills me to no end with the knowledge that my own fusion will by far overshadow yours."

"Irrelevant, you'd need something greater than the power to annoy me before you should be considering those kinds of options," Vegito wasted no more time before lunging again.

Ru prepared a defense, but using instant transmission Vegito disappeared from in front of Ru only to appear again from the side with his leg outstretched kicking him in the side of the head. Ru stumbled but was greeted from the opposite side by Vegito's fist as he slammed him down. Ru's face made contact with the dimensional surface they were standing upon which sent a shock wave of sparks into the dark. Ru pushed himself up but Vegito's boot immediately slammed Ru's head back down. Transforming back into energy, Ru maneuvered behind Vegito and solidified with his arm around Vegito's neck in a headlock. Vegito reached behind his back with his left arm grabbing onto Ru's head and held him still while he slammed his right fist into Ru's face.

With his arms weakening, Ru let go of Vegito's head and slowly slipped off. Vegito turned quickly extending his leg to deliver a swift strike to Ru's neck. Vegito hit air as Ru burst his energy and vanished into superspeed. Vegito teleported out of the way as Ru approached from behind. Ru couldn't decipher Vegito's angle of approach and used his energy to push himself across the unfathomable dimensional axis. Vegito sensed Ru move positions and compensated moving into strike Ru from incomprehensible angles.

Moving quickly to put his arm up to block, Ru missed the mark by only millimeters allowing Vegito's knee to crash into his face. Vegito followed up with several punches to the chest and face. Ru flipped himself around to counter but Vegito quickly gathered energy into his hand and blasted Ru back into third dimensional space.

Once Ru regained control of his momentum he was quick to flip himself around and gather massive amounts of energy into his hands forming a ball in front of him and quickly splitting it open. The tear began to pull energies from across the multiple universes, "SORYAA!" A beam exploded outward from within the ball.

Vegito saw the power approaching and held out his hand also forming an energy ball, "Big Bang… KAMEHAMEHA!" In a similar effect Vegito's energy ball tore open releasing a Kamehameha beam from within a Big Bang Attack.

Ru concentrated on allowing the particles within the void further fuel his beam while Vegito's beam on its own was still slowly gaining momentum over Ru's attack. The void was alit from the two great beams struggling over the saiyan's home universe.

Phips was bounced backward by the repelling force of the blast. He bounced on his head then onto his back before rolling into the Supreme Kai who was using his arm to shield his eyes from the intense light, "Do you really feel comfortable with all those fireworks going off over the realm you hold dominion over?"

Shin blinked at Phips a few times before looking back up to the blast and gulping.

Ru noticed his beam being pushed back down toward him. Going over his last mental image of Vegito, carefully he made his move as the beam engulfed his position. Vegito's eyes widened noticing Ru wasn't caught in the path of the beam. He cancelled out the beam and turned around in time to see Ru's arm in energy form ensnare his torso while pinning his arms at his sides.

"You think this can hold me?" Vegito flexed his arms already starting to tear through Ru's hold.

"It only has to for a moment…" Ru charged his energy in and jolted Vegito through his hold on him. Vegito looked discomforted but not exceptionally effected by the attack.

"That's not going to work!" Vegito pushed harder on Ru's lasso like arm, almost stretching it out enough to escape.

"The technique you used to fuse your bodies has one great weakness!" Ru shouted as he channeled energy into his other hand. Vegito grit his teeth and pushed harder against his binds, "You know what the weakness is? You should… You've been flaunting it in front of me since this battle started!" Ru's energy cackled in his hand before dividing it into two separate beams and latched it onto Vegito's earrings.

Shin's eyes widened watching Ru's attack, "Oh no… that should be impossible!"

The Potara earrings on Vegito's ears began to glow as Ru kept pouring in with more energy. The binding kept Vegito from escaping and soon Vegito was almost screaming from the burning sensation coming from the earrings. The Earrings gave off a shockwave filling the air with strange symbols as they cracked and disintegrated away. Vegito himself began to glow and expand in Ru's grasp.

The Supreme Kai lowered his arm again and hitched his breath in disbelief. Ru had succeeded in separating Goku and Vegeta, "But… but… Once a being is fused by the Potara earrings the merger should be permanent!"

Shaking his head, The Sovereign Kai commented, "Perhaps within your dimension it's permanent, however this is the void. The strange energies of the void make many things possible… Even that which we consider forever is nothing in the presence of the infinite void. Not to mention their opponent is very astute in these techniques. I can only hope those two can manage to hold on…"

Shin clenched his jaw tight as he looked from the Sovereign Kai back to the fight, "Come on Goku, Vegeta… you can't let us down now…"

Goku looked down at himself realizing he was alone in his body again. With a great heave, Ru tossed both the saiyans across the surface expanse of the dimensional stream. Both Goku and Vegeta were able to flip themselves upright before dragging too far.

"What do you think Vegeta? Do we still stand a chance?" Goku grumbled assuming a ready stance.

"In a way I'm rather thankful to him for finding a way for that merger to not be permanent… But as far as fighting him goes let me put it this way… we don't have a choice…" Vegeta's ki flared indicating he had no intention of backing off now.

"Wouldn't have it any other way!" With the memory of the pain Ru caused to Gohan fresh in his mind Goku powered up alongside of Vegeta.

"Fools!" Ru waved his hand in front of him causing the unstable energy Goku and Vegeta stood on to erupt.

Vegeta and Goku appeared high above after bursting into a dodge. Ru snapped into reality behind Goku immediately kicking him across the chest. Vegeta saw the attack and launched to counter with his fist outstretched landing in Ru's palm which allowed the xescap to flip Vegeta around and elbow him in the gut. Ru flipped himself around landing both feet on Vegeta's face and kicking off, launching the saiyan prince back to the ground and used the same momentum to throw himself back towards Goku.

Seeing Ru approach, Goku put up an arm to block the attack this time. Ru's ki flared a sinister red color before he pushed up his speed and launched a rush attack against Goku throwing rounds of fast cuts, swipes, and kicks at every opening. Goku tried keeping up, but it quickly became apparent to him that Ru was faster than he was.

Once he regained his balance, Vegeta lunged himself back into the fray to assist Goku. With his fists both clenched together he brought his hands down hard onto Ru's back sending the scaled boy crashing into the ground.

"We have to stick together… if he separates us he'll be able to pick us apart!" Goku urged through clenched teeth.

Piccolo's eyes narrowed as he kept up with everyone's movements. In a battle like this, the smallest slip could cost dearly.

"Uhhh…" A groan stole Piccolo's attention away from the fight.

"You're awake, Gohan!" Piccolo shook his old pupil gently as Gohan slowly opened his eyes.

"Piccolo…" Gohan's voice was weak and raspy, "What… What's going on?"

"Goku and Vegeta are still fighting Ru, but are you alright Gohan?" Piccolo asked first out of concern.

Gohan put a hand to his head and shook violently, "Something's wrong… I feel weird…"

"What is it Gohan? What's wrong?" Piccolo probed hoping to find something that was within his power to help with.

"I don't know…" Gohan tried pushing himself up, "Dad… Vegeta… Someone has to help… them…" Gohan almost collapsed before he was able to stand.

The Sovereign Kai looked Gohan over, "This is strange… Gohan is considerably weak after his ordeal… Yet Ru is still pressing on… What is happening here?"

Ru charged into Goku following an unpredictable path and sequence of attacks, yet Goku was able to dodge out of the way before a hit could be landed. Ru turned around to face Goku, but an orange clad knee slammed into his stomach at the same moment Vegeta landed both knees on Ru's back. The two had Ru squashed between them and kicked him aside as they pushed off.

Together, Goku held his hands at his side as Vegeta gathered energy in his hands extended out at either side of him. Releasing a Kamehameha and Final Flash at the same time, the two attacks attracted each other and swirled together as they homed in on Ru and made contact. The darkness of the void was revoked as the light from the combined attack reflected off all the nearby dimensional streams.

"HAAAAA!" The smoke from the attack was blown away as Ru powered up within the epicenter of the attack, "I won't stop now! I've come this close, everything is in reach… you can't stop me… I'll never stop!" With another great burst of ki, Ru hurled himself back up at the saiyans, catching both of their necks in super speed climb and tossed them to the ground firing a barrage of ki blasts after them.

Gohan looked away from the battle as he took a deep breath and tried to collect his thoughts, "Piccolo?" Gohan whispered at an inaudible pitch so only the namek could hear him.

Piccolo leaned down to Gohan, "What is it?"

"I just… I wanted to ask you… what do you think of all this?" Gohan looked away for a moment before clarifying his question, "The whole Harmoney thing… is it really something so bad?"

Piccolo closed his eyes and nodded as he thought, "Gohan… There was a time in my life where I'm sure I would have given anything for that kind of power myself…" Piccolo replied quietly respecting Gohan's apparent desire for the others to not hear their conversation, "Looking back on it now… if I could go back in time and grant my past self that kind of power… I'd never do it… Even now I think I'd be better off never accepting that kind of… temptation…"

Gohan's expression didn't change much, "What do you mean Mister Piccolo?"

"Power corrupts… you know that Gohan… I know you've felt it… You can't have ultimate uncontested power and remain a being of purity. If this universe has a lesson to teach us Gohan… it's balance. There must be good… and there must be evil. For every force, there must be an opposite." Piccolo sighed as he delicately gathered his thoughts, "The kind of power Ru wishes for is unnatural to the order of any universe. Attaining a power beyond all else, to never be matched by any other being in infinity… would destroy ours and every other world."

Gohan closed his eyes and motioned his head down, "I know you're right Piccolo… thank you…"

"Are you alright though?" Piccolo pushed the issue again.

"I don't know…" Gohan put his hands to his temple, "I have the worst headache I think I've ever had… all of my thoughts are jumbled… I can't think straight… And there's this thumping sound that's driving me crazy!"

A loud explosion rang out nearby. Ru floated with his hand extended outward still after launching his last attack. From behind him he heard the high pitched screech of a teleport but couldn't turn around in time before Goku's arm encircled him and caught him in a headlock.

Blood trailed down the side of Goku's head, and most of his orange gi was tattered and blown off from the previous attacks, "Got him!"

Through the smoke Vegeta burst into the sky. His muscles bulged and expanded as he pushed his energies into a punch that he dove into Ru's stomach as Goku held him still. Ru's face elongated, his eyes widened as blood was expelled from his mouth from the force of the blow. Vegeta pulled his fist back and punched again, this time driving his fist completely through Ru not realizing Ru's abdomen had transformed into energy. His punch contacted Goku instead and threw the other saiyan off of Ru. Without Goku holding him down, Ru smirked and smashed his fist along the side of Vegeta's neck.

Vegeta's pupils diminished as Ru's attack struck a nerve in his throat that seemed to cut his blood pressure. Vegeta's hair retracted in length and became black as he fell from the sky, "And so we reach the limits of your abilities. The force of your efforts is admirable; however you are nothing in the way of providence!"

Ru flew back and dropped his elbow into Goku. Goku was tiring, his third level of super saiyan was taking its toll on his body as Ru continued to pummel him with an onslaught of flurry attacks. With a kick across the face, Goku was flung down the surface.

Goku caught himself and tried catching his breath. Looking up at Ru he noticed the twisted smile still plastered on his youthful features, "That's not right… he just keeps going… Where does he get this kind of endurance?" Shaking the wariness from his head Goku solidified his stance, "I won't let you have him… I won't let you take my son from me!"

"They're about to lose…" The Sovereign Kai spoke plainly, "Goku and Vegeta have lost this fight, we must leave this place immediately."

Shin nodded reluctantly, "We can't allow Ru another chance at merger with Gohan. He's too weak to hold him off a second time."

Gohan took in deep breaths through his teeth as he blankly stared at the battle in front of him.

"What is it Gohan? What's causing the noise in your head? You have to be strong right now," Piccolo's voice was calm yet stern as he masked his own sense of helplessness in the situation.

"Phips, prepare a rift jump, now!" The Sovereign Kai ordered.

"You want to risk leading Ru to the Sovereign world, or should we try running to some random dimension in the infinite abyss?" Phips rubbed his hands together awaiting the word.

"No!" Gohan grunted stubbornly.

All eyes turned to Gohan as he stiffly pushed himself to his feet, "Gohan I'm sorry, but you have no say in this, we are getting you away from this place!" The Sovereign Kai spoke with as much authority as he could muster.

Gohan stared at his hands as he flexed his ligaments. A bewildered expression crossed his face as he seemed to be studying himself.

"He's delirious… Phips, do it now!" The Kai barked.

"Phips, don't!" Gohan shouted sounded just as commanding as the Kai. Phips turned his head from Gohan to the Kai and back, completely dumbfounded as to what he should do, "Something is different… something is very different…"

Thoughts started running through Piccolo's mind that perhaps Gohan's mental state wasn't secure enough to currently process what was happening. He was about to side with the Kai in his decision to remove Gohan from Ru's proximity. As he took a step closer to Gohan though, he too noticed a difference in Gohan he'd failed to notice before, "Gohan… You're…"

Gohan tensed his muscles and took in a deep breath. He held the breath in for a moment before exhaling. Visible in his breath was an energy; a soft golden glow that gently faded as it escaped the moistness of Gohan's lungs. The Kais along with Phips took a step back, eyes wide in shock and not quite yet believing what they saw. Gohan looked up at the multitude of universes surrounding him, "My heart…"

Goku pushed himself to his limit. He held onto Ru's shoulder as he slammed his fist across Ru's face repeatedly. Ru recoiled from the punch, but quickly restored his posture and continued to glare Goku down with the same devious smirk, "That's enough…"

Not able to put up a defense in time, Ru's fist materialized into Goku's forehead flinging his body back only a meter before Ru quickly latched on to Goku's ankle. Ru pulled on Goku's foot, sliding his body back toward him before brutally ramming his elbow down into Goku's chest and flung the man fiercely to the ground. Goku hit the surface with Ru close behind him. Ru's knees dug into Goku's back sending jolts of energy through Goku's body as the two nearly cracked the universe they were fighting upon open. Goku screamed as more blood flew from his lips.

Ru jumped off and noticed Goku still climbing back onto his feet, "You never give up do you?"

Goku took in a deep breath, his tired features softening for a moment into a grin, "Not a chance… never… I never learned how to give in…"

Ru looked down for a moment; a forlorn look crossed his face, "That reminds me… It's a shame I can't allow you to get in the way… I guess that's what I'm sorry about…" An energy ball began to gather in Ru's hands. He moved his arm up, pointing the ball at Goku as the ball began to split open in the front.

"RUUU!" Ru stopped as he heard the unmistakable shout of his counterpart close by. He slowly turned and saw the boy limping toward him, "That's enough Ru! Stop this now!"

It was almost impossible not for Ru to laugh as he watched Gohan almost pathetically stagger toward him, "You can't possibly be considering struggling still… Look at yourself! You barely have the energy to sustain remaining conscious!"

Shaking the weariness out of his head, Gohan continued to approach Ru, "I don't have to put up a struggle anymore Ru…"

"What does he think he's doing?" Shin watched completely baffled by Gohan's decision to face Ru again.

"He doesn't know what he's doing, we must retrieve him immediately!" The Sovereign Kai began to run towards Gohan however a green arm stopped him.

"No… He knows what he's doing… Just give him a moment," Piccolo watched Gohan intently.

A skeptical look crossed Ru's face, "What, that's it? Are you possibly going to agree to our merger now?"

"Never…" Gohan shook his head.

"Then what are you ever planning to do?" Ru chuckled finding his own bafflement at Gohan's antics amusing.

"I don't have to fight you anymore… because you've already lost…" Gohan stated simply.

"I've lost?" Ru looked around and laughed some more, "All of the warriors present are nearly crippled except for me, and I've lost?"

Gohan nodded, "You lost a while ago… your pride just hasn't allowed you to acknowledge it…"

The smile faded from Ru's face, "Stop playing games with me, what's this about?"

"It's not a game… it's over… it's already over for you…" Gohan spoke as if his statement was an obvious fact.

The tone of Gohan's voice put Ru ill at ease for some reason, "Explain yourself!"

Gohan nodded, "We're in the void you see… So many things can happen in the void… impossible things… that which couldn't happen anywhere else…"

"And?" Ru yelled sounding frustrated with Gohan's logic.

Gohan smirked tiredly, "It was in this infinite realm that we merged… and it was in this void that we were separated."

"WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?" Ru was starting to lose his temper.

Gohan pointed accusingly at Ru, "You did it to yourself… You merged… with a dead person…"

Ru's eyes widened, "What?"

"You knew I was dead…" Gohan put his hand to his chest, "But right now Ru… my heart is beating…"

Ru took a step back, "No… no no no no… what you're saying…"

"You lost Ru…" Gohan said again, almost emotionlessly, "You're dead…"

Ru's body trembled as he slowly moved his eyes upward. Slightly above his head floated a luminescent golden ring, "That can't be… I… I can't die…I can never die!"

"You've probably noticed in the past couple minutes, your body feels more durable than ever before. You keep pushing your muscles and they don't argue back, there's no fatigue from going all out. There's really only one state of being that your body goes through that allows you that kind of ability," the way Gohan spoke sent shivers down even Phips's spine

"Stop it!" Ru warned baring his teeth.

"Death…"

Goku and the others watched in shock as Ru seemed to break down from the sight of the halo above his head, "I CAN'T DIE!"

"I'm sorry…" Gohan spoke quietly… "Really… I didn't want for it to end this way…" Through Gohan's emotionless mask his eyes began grow moist.

"This is a trick… You're playing with my head… You're in such a hopeless situation that you're trying to trick me!" Ru started shouting trying to overcome his plight.

"No tricks," Gohan rubbed his face and took in a deep breath, "I just wish… I could have made you understand what I understand instead of things turning out like this. I know what you were trying to tell me before and it's all true… I could have turned out just like you if things that had happened to you had happened in my life. But… don't you see that you could have also been different. You could have done so many other things… You could have done so much good with your life!" Gohan looked down disdainfully, "But I didn't get the chance to tell you…"

"No… I can't…" Ru grasped his head, shaking violently, "NO IT WILL NOT END THIS WAY!" Ru's ki flared as he dug into his powers, "You were dead when we merged before, so it will still work if we merge again even if I'm dead!" Ru threw himself across the ocean of energy toward Gohan.

Phips panicked as Ru flew blindingly fast toward he and Gohan. Gohan very calmly reached down and pushed Phips out of the way while reaching into Phips's pocket.

"I will have you still!" Ru's eyes, solid black eyes, were blood shot in fear and anger as he hurdled across space toward Gohan.

Ru stretched out his arms ready to tackle Gohan's limp form over. As Ru's arms circled around him, Gohan thrust his palm forward and slapped it upon Ru's forehead. Ru's ki immediately faded and infinity became suddenly still and incredibly silent. Everyone watched unmoving as the two counterparts stared into each other's eyes.

"What…?" Ru croaked not sure what was happening. He only knew he was suddenly overcome with this immense sensation of dread. It was overpowering.

Gohan removed his hand from Ru's forehead. Once he backed his hand off a few inches Ru was able to make out a stamp in Gohan's hand, one of a spiritual symbol that translated to "Hell".

Gohan said nothing as he slowly backed away from Ru. The look on his face was solemn, almost disappointed.

From the dimension beneath Ru's feet, a swirling pattern of light manifested on its structure. The light solidified and formed a pillar which began to engulf Ru's body. The tormenting memories replayed through Ru's mind, but surprisingly he didn't find them as bothersome as before. After each memory he watched his own reaction from the outside.

Ru clenched his eyes shut and looked down, "This… This _is_ how it was meant to end…"

"Goodbye Ru…" Gohan smiled sadly as Ru began to sink into the light.

A light chuckle escaped Ru's mouth as a similar soft smile crossed Ru's face, "If things had been different… I think I would have liked being more like you…" The light closed and with its passing Ru was gone.

* * *

End Chapter

Thank you everyone for sticking through the story this long. I'm so glad that we finally got here… it feels good to see things reaching its peak. I sure hope everyone found this to be a fitting way to end the fight. Even in Dragon Ball I've never been a fan of conflicts being resolved on a basis of pure strength. I knew off the bat that I wanted to delve deeper than that, so this is what I came up with. All we have left is a little bit of wrapping up, so I hope you come back next week for the last chapter of ZAT: The Immortal Saiyan. Please let me know what you think.


	38. Terms of Divergence

And the time has come to wrap things up here. It has been a fun road with a lot of surprises and maybe a few bumps along the way, but man does it feel good to be here. Anyone who knows me knows I am terrible when it comes to ending a project. So this story in a way has been kind of a test that I gave myself to push my concentration and endurance towards one making the regular updates as close to weekly as I could, and two sticking with it until the bitter end. Well here we are at the end… and you know what? It's not so bitter, is it? See you at the bottom!

* * *

Epilogue: Terms of Divergence

* * *

The light had long since faded. The glow of eternity settled back down to its calm infinite luminescence. A strange silence remained hovering amongst the heroes in the void.

Gohan had yet to move an inch as he stared at the spot Ru had vanished from. The last few days were replaying through his mind. Everything that had happened, everything he did, and he found himself wondering how much more he could have done.

Slowly Piccolo and Goku approached him. Goku sank to his knees and embraced him while Piccolo kneeled at his side with his arm around Gohan's shoulder. Gohan sniffed slightly and sighed.

"You were great Gohan. You did nothing wrong and saved more people than you'll ever know…" Goku whispered consolingly.

Piccolo smiled, "You did good kid, real good."

With his eyes closed a smile slowly crept across Gohan's face and he nodded, "Thanks dad, thanks Piccolo."

The group was slightly startled as the sound of clapping hands approached from behind, "He actually did it, I guess that means we're a little late," Lao Harknoss grinned as he stepped up beside the Kai.

Gohan returned the grin to all of the present members of Serius Prime who stood behind them, "Figures you'd get here now that it's all over."

Lao shrugged, "I had faith in you that you could handle it."

Phips poked Lao's leg, "He just didn't want to get beat up in front of everyone again." The rest of the team laughed as Lao shook his head. His proud look never left his face.

"There are still a few things that need to be taken care of," The Sovereign Kai stepped forward and held his hands above his head. A bright glow emitted from his palms as his energy made contact with the universal essence of Gohan's home dimension, "Hear me dragon Shenron of earth, I grant thee energy to rise!"

A spot above the ethereal surface began to cloud over and swirl as the eternal dragon broke free of the confines of its reality and soared above the weary warriors, "You have called me to this place, speak your desire and it shall be so."

With a nod the Sovereign Kai stated, "Dragon, within the past few weeks of your timeline there has been much turmoil. Upon your return to the physical dimension I ask you to repair the damage done by the misdeeds of foul creatures. Restore the lives, restore the cities, restore the prosperity to the point before all of this started, especially for the earth."

"Your wish will be granted…" Shenron's echoing voice boomed over the emptiness of the void as its body exuded a bright light and returned to its home realm.

Shin let out a relieved breath knowing his universe would be repaired of the trouble caused by the recent villains by the time he returned.

"This leaves only two issues remaining…" The Sovereign Kai grinned as he turned to face Lao.

With a nod Lao stepped forward and closed the distance to Gohan. Piccolo and Goku stood at either side of Gohan while Vegeta was close by behind them, "Gohan, your training has completed. You have successfully completed the test assigned to you by the Sovereign Guard despite the additional… unexpected… hardships encountered throughout the task. You did so on your own without the aid of other experienced Sovereign Guardians…"

"Hey I was there!" Phips grumbled.

"Without the aid of other _experienced_ Sovereign Guardians…" Lao repeated.

"Awww…" Phips whined.

Gohan gulped as Lao continued, "You have exemplified your remarkable talents and abilities by defeating an opponent ranked as one of the greatest threats to all of reality. From this, not only have you earned our thanks…" Lao reached his coat and pulled out a box, "…but you have earned your place…" Lao opened the box revealing the coat of arms rank of Serius Prime, "…as a member of the most elite force of Sovereign Guardians."

The other members of Serius Prime clapped as Lao attached the rank to Gohan's shoulder. Gohan stared at the insignia completely silent for a moment. He finally smiled to himself as his father and Piccolo patted him in support, "Congratulations son, I'm so proud of you."

Piccolo didn't say a thing, but the confident smile on his face said everything that he meant.

"Thank you… This means a lot to me coming from you guys," Gohan grinned at his rank as it shimmered reflecting the streams of energy around them.

The Sovereign Kai stopped his clapping as he stepped up to Gohan, "And allow me to confirm just one other thing…"

"What is it?" Gohan questioned as the Kai's hand began to glow and wave in front of Gohan. Gohan felt a strange tingle run through his body.

"It's just as I thought," The Kai smiled warmly.

"What is?" Gohan gulped wondering if he should be worried about something.

The Kai put his hands behind his back as he turned and started walking away, "It's almost disheartening knowing that here is this amazing prodigy before me who I'm just going to have to learn to live without for a while…"

"What do you mean, what's going on?" Gohan stepped over to the Kai hurriedly.

The Kai grinned slyly down at Gohan, "I just mean I'm going to miss you while you spend the next hundred years with your family."

Gohan's eyes widened, "I'm… what?"

"Consider it a vacation; just be ready to report back to active duty once your hundred year holiday is up. The anticipation is going to be eating me alive. I've never had an immortal among my guardians before," The Kai spoke last sentence so low key that it took a moment for Gohan to understand what he meant.

With a puzzled look on his face, Gohan mumbled, "Did you say…?"

The Sovereign Kai smiled and nodded, "As you noticed upon your separation, you and Ru swapped conditions. This resulted in his death and your acquisition of immortality."

Gohan blinked a few times. His mouth hung loosely not quite grasping the information he was being given, "Isn't that… wrong?"

Shaking his head the Kai spoke, "Gohan, you are alive, and what's more you are immortal… An immortal saiyan. No divine intervention or wish had to be granted for you to attain this. You earned it all on your own. Now I command you to spend the next hundred years enjoying it. Understand?"

The look of shock slowly lifted from Gohan's face replaced by one of excitement. Goku almost snuck up to Gohan as he lifted him from the ground, "You're coming home Gohan! You're coming home!"

The two Sons laughed with each other as the rest looked on in serene contentment.

Once he was set down, Lao placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder, "We'll be waiting for you to come back."

Gohan smiled back, "You bet!"

Shu ran up to Gohan and clasped his hand to the other boy's, "A hundred years isn't that long. You better keep training or I'll be stronger than you by then!"

"I bet!" Gohan grinned.

"Really though, we'll make an awesome team, just like before!" Shu grinned before running back over to Lao.

Saila and Laudria walked over to Gohan. They gave each other a knowing wink before leaning down to Gohan, "You were wonderful Gohan!" Saila said first.

"We'll be waiting for you to come back," both girls kissed his cheeks at the same time before calmly turning around and walking away leaving a deep blush across Gohan's face.

"It's been fun man!" Torjuk waved.

"Good bye my friend," Morkup nodded calmly.

"Try not to get yourself in too much trouble," Pendyne chuckled idly.

Gohan waved to all of them. It was still sinking in that he would be finally going back home for a good long while.

A strange chill ran down Gohan's spine making him feel as though something wasn't right. He looked over the Kais, Serius Prime, everyone seemed fine. Looking down and to his side he noticed Phips sulking by himself. Gohan chuckled to himself as he stepped over to his partner, "Hey…"

Phips shuffled his feet a bit and refused to make eye contact with Gohan, "Hey…"

"Are you alright?" Gohan asked quietly.

Phips nodded, "Oh yeah… I'm doing… great really."

"Come with me," Gohan offered.

Phips smiled, "Thanks Gohan, but I can't go spend all that time on earth… That'd be boring! And you probably wouldn't let me have my fun with anyone. How about this, I'll hang out with the Kai and then hide out at your place when things go too far, deal?" Phips extended his hand.

"Deal!" Gohan caught Phips' hand and winked at him.

"Are you ready Gohan?" Shin called as he stood by Goku and the others.

"Yeah," Gohan ran over and huddled close to his family.

Phips plotted over in front of the Sovereign Kai, "Five one way tickets to the land of ignorant bliss, all aboard!"

Vegeta grunted as he crossed his arms, "We never did get the chance to fight Hercule Satan at the tournament."

"There's always next year Vegeta," Gohan smiled, "Next year… on earth… I can't wait!"

A rift began to open around Gohan, Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Shin as Phips pushed them through the dimensional boundary.

"And Gohan," The Sovereign Kai called, "This life is all yours, do things your way!"

"I will, see you all later! Good bye!" Gohan called as they vanished.

The Sovereign Kai sighed as he placed a hand on Phips' head, "How will we ever get along without him?"

Phips snickered, "I'm sure we'll all find a way to… coexist."

The Sovereigns all turned to leave together, "Don't you think maybe a hundred years is too long?" Shu asked as they walked.

Saila cocked her head slightly, "What do you mean?"

"Well in a hundred years it could be possible he won't want to come back," Shu rubbed his head as he though, "heck he might get weak if he doesn't have any decent fights in that amount of time."

The Sovereign Kai laughed heartily, "Oh you don't have to worry about that… From the kind of ordeals that take place on that tiny planet Gohan calls home so often… I wouldn't be the least surprised if the strength Gohan possesses now is absolutely nothing compared to the state he'll be in when he returns."

Shu along with the many of the other members of Serius Prime stared agape at the Kai while Lao only chuckled to himself, "Of this I have no doubt."

"Let's go home Phips," The Kai beckoned Phips over to the center of the group.

Phips began harnessing his rifting powers once again, "Yes sir, one large group transport coming up!"

"Try not to miss the time zone this time Phips," Torjuk laughed as they were overtaken by light.

The rifting energy flashed and everyone but Torjuk was transported out from the void. Torjuk stood by himself and blinked a few times, "One of these days…" With a snap of his fingers, Torjuk transported himself through the dimensional boundary with a loud pop.

Dende gazed out at the earth from the top of the lookout in awe. He didn't see the Shenron, but somehow felt the dragon's spirit sweeping across the planet. The cities below burning in ruin were all being restored and the people who were killed were brought back from the other world.

"This is amazing!" Dende smiled excitedly watching everything take place, "Everything is going to be fine!"

"What about Goku and the others?" Krillin asked trying to sense any sign of their return.

The light around the lookout faded as a rift in space opened just above the temple grounds. The light emitted a final violent flash before fading and revealing the triumphant warriors. "Yo!" Goku greeted with a friendly salute once everyone was able to open their eyes.

Chichi came running out of the temple after hearing Goku outside. Standing to his side just as she had been wishing was her oldest son. The blur was almost unrecognizable as Chichi stormed across the lookout and tackled Gohan in a burst of pent up emotions, "My baby! My poor poor baby! You've come back!"

A warm fuzzy like feeling overcame Gohan as he sniffed and hugged his mom back, "Yeah, I'm home mom… and I'm not going anywhere."

Everyone around noticed the halo missing from Gohan's head and cheered as Chichi finally released her boy. Goten and Trunks watched from the side of the temple. Looking tentatively toward his friend, Trunks gave Goten a nod in Gohan's direction and immediately the younger boy ran to his family's side, the bright green prism still held tight in his hand.

"Gohan!" Goten yelled as Gohan put a hand around his shoulder and pulled him close.

"Hey, I heard you back then, thank you Goten. You helped more than you can you know," Gohan pushed the prism in Goten's hand tighter motioning for him to keep it with him.

"I didn't know what to do, but I'm glad it worked! What makes this thing so special Gohan?" Goten spoke quickly.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you later," Gohan promised.

"Well now…" Bulma joined the Sons in the center of the lookout, "The world is safe, Gohan, also, is home safe and sound, and after so many years life can get back to normal. I don't know about you guys, but this sounds like the perfect excuse for a party!"

"YEAH!" The kids shouted as everyone gathered to move the festivities to the Capsule Corporation Dome.

Within moments robotic servers littered the Capsule grounds with tables topped with enough food to feed ten saiyans. Krillin looked around at the food, "Somewhere an army is starving right now," He joked.

Music blared through speakers throughout the complex as the livelier members of the group immediately danced. Goku looked surprised as Chichi actually dragged him out to the makeshift dance floor. Gohan and Goten whistled cheering them on.

"Your parents are so weird…" Trunks snickered to himself. Vegeta had been leaning against a wall a small distance away from the others. Bulma walked over and poked him slightly, and with grins they joined Goku and Chichi on the dance floor. Trunks's face dropped taking in the unusual behavior.

"Don't worry Trunks, one day you'll learn that parents are weird period," Gohan teased.

Even Eighteen dragged Krillin out to the center.

Yamcha grabbed a camera and started taking pictures of everyone. He made sure to catch pictures of each of the couples dancing. Gohan posed with Goten and Trunks, an arm slung around each of their shoulders as they threw peace signs at the camera. A shot was snapped catching Master Roshi on the ground at the edge of the dance floor trying to look up the women's skirts as they danced. In the next photo both Chichi and Bulma had hit Master Roshi with frying pans. Even Piccolo posed for a shot as Gohan floated a few feet off the ground and the two stood back to back with their arms crossed. In the next picture, Gohan looked blue in the face as he was being crushed in a tremendous bear hug from his grandfather. A surprise shot was taken during desert catching Goku, Gohan, and Goten with full mouths and chocolate ice cream smudges on their faces.

"Gohan, please, oh please, oh please, will you show us?" Goten whined.

"Yeah Gohan, come on, we want to see your hyper saiyan up close!" Trunks bellowed in.

Gohan closed his eyes and grinned as he threw his soda away, "Alright, alright, hyper saiyan it is!" All of the Z-Fighters gathered around after hearing the two boys cheer. Gohan released a calming breath as he reached deep into himself and brought the transforming power forward. In a flash of light that altered the air pressure in the room Gohan's hair changed color to a sparkling platinum, his eyes to a vibrant gold.

"Whoa… That is so cool!" Goten and Trunks circled around Gohan. Another photo was taken as Gohan had Trunks in a friendly arm lock while Goten grabbed onto Gohan's tail.

The night drew to an end and everyone began to leave for home. Chichi's expression looked as if she'd gone to heaven as she held both her boys tight up against her as they walked, "Gohan's gonna stay in my room right?" Goten asked excitedly.

"Hey it was my room before it was yours!" Gohan grinned happily.

Piccolo and Dende floated above the Capsule Corporation building watching the Sons leave before flying back to the lookout themselves.

"Hey Piccolo," Dende asked as he flew close by the earth's old guardian.

"What is it Dende?" Piccolo gently asked.

"I was just thinking," Dende beamed proudly, "After facing such a thing… one of the strongest interdimensional threats known to even the Sovereign Kai, earth should be considered the safest place in the universe with you and the others around don't you think?"

Piccolo crossed his arms, "If there is one thing this whole ordeal has taught me, it's that the universe is much larger and far more infinite than even I believed before. And that means that even after besting a being such as Ru this same event is bound to be happening in countless other realities, perhaps involving beings much, much stronger."

Dende blinked a few times processing Piccolo's words, "So… the earth could still be in danger then?"

Shaking his head Piccolo continued, "Once you've been guardian long enough you will learn that earth is in constant danger, but you shouldn't worry. No matter what comes next…"

At that moment Goku and Chichi stood in the doorway of the boys' room watching both Goten and Gohan sleep peacefully on their mats and pillows. Goten had already become restless in his sleep, his legs somehow ending up on Gohan's stomach as he rolled. Goku only laughed as he pulled Chichi to their room to sleep as well, assuring her that come morning everything would still be this way.

"…When that time comes, _we_ will be ready…"

* * *

The End

A big thanks to EVERYONE who has read this story, whether you reviewed or not I'd imagine if you've come this far that it's because you enjoyed the story. That in itself makes me feel pretty good. The story is technically complete, but now I have the daunting task of going through and proofing this whole beast! Man, that's going to take forever! But I just want to be sure that when I make the official status change from "In-Progress" to "Complete" that the story is in actuality as complete as possible, and I know for a fact there are a ton of typos that need to be fixed. But I think overall this story came out so much better than its previous incarnation. It feels satisfying to me, and I hope the readers were given a similar feeling.

So thanks again everyone. Thoughts, comments, reactions? Let me know!


	39. COMPLETE:: Acknowledgment

Well everyone, it took a few months but it has happened. ZAT:Immortal has been proofread and is finally marked as: COMPLETE! The story is done, that is it, no more ZAT:Immortal… So this isn't a chapter at all, but more of an acknowledgment and a bit of dialogue from me concerning the story and future and everything.

It's an interesting feeling when a story is completed. I wanted to take a moment here at the end just to thank everyone and talk a little bit about the story. First off there are a few of you who have been reading this story… pretty much from the beginning who have just been a huge inspiration and motivation for driving this story to completion, so in no particular order I want to thank:

Edwiddlem – I'm glad you came back to read the story even after reading it the last time it was posted all those years ago. I'm sorry that did kind of ruin a few of the twists, but I'm glad that you enjoyed it. You've been a big help even if you don't think so just in some of the extra sessions we've had to talk about story ideas back and forth. That gave me a great opportunity to refine some of the concepts with my writing, so again thank you very much, and I really hope to see more of your stories also.

Shiva the Sarcastic – I do believe you reviewed pretty much every chapter my story, again right from the beginning. I can credit you with the feedback responsible for extending some of the scenes out and adding a bit more humor to scenes where the story really needed it. Chapter 6 wouldn't even exist in this story if it wasn't for you, so thank you for all the support you provided throughout the writing process.

Prats'R'Us – It's so good to know that my British humor references were being understood by some people out there. Not many others understood the Doctor Who and Torchwood concepts I kept throwing in. Whenever you grasped them though and assured me they were good/funny, well… it gave the determination to try harder to better utilize the references in a manner easier for those who don't have a BBC station to understand.

redchinese - How I miss your reviews from back in the day. Redchinese knows how to give me a taste of my own medicine as I know I'm notorious for leaving reviews that are almost as long as the story (or chapter) I am reviewing. But the constructive advice you always left was instrumental in keeping pace with the story and just making sure that I remained consistent with my concepts. With someone like you reading I always had to make doubly sure that my science fiction babbles at least made some kind of logical sense with real world physics. I had a lot of fun keeping on my toes with that and hope you continue to do your thing across the community for a long time to come. Thanks!

Lady Venamisa – How many times were we up way too late talking about story ideas? I remember having work the next day and still batting ideas around and getting really excited over them. I certainly hope we get to keep having little brain storm sessions because that is really one the elements of story writing I find the most enjoyable is collaborating with other like minded writers. You're too awesome for me to really describe here, so once again I'll just say thank you so much for all the help and inspiration you give me.

There are so many others who kept up with the story and kept throwing feedback at me which made me feel so good each time the review came in. I set my phone to start notifying me each time I would get a review because as the work day dragged on your reviews would always give me that "silver lining" of knowing that soon enough I'd get to go home and work on these other little worlds. So reviewers like Otogii, LSSJ2 Gohan, Guardian of Nesh, AmaranthineSolis, Vegeta997, The Exodus of Genesis, , SilentDarkness101, xdevil-childx, Z-Breezy, Haku fan 1, and Sid 89 just to name a few of the reviewers who kept coming back again and again… I mean wow… I haven't even touched the anon reviewers who seemed to come back for each chapter. I can't thank you enough for the kind words and support you've given to encourage my little hobby.

So people here in the real world ask me why I bother writing fanfiction. To me it's simple, it relieves so much stress. It's my escape from the real world into a world that I can mold any way I want and then share with others to partake in this world I made. I know it can sound silly, but I think it's important.

So about this story, the ZAT series… When I was twelve years old I was going through this big "What if…" phase. And I actually had story concepts written down for about five different Dragon Ball Z Alternate Tales stories. They were all very Gohan centric, one of them involved Gohan succumbing to amnesia after the battle with Cell and being adopted by Hercule, another one was the classic "Gohan is kidnapped into space as a child" story line. The immortal Saiyan though just became this iconic story line for me. I wanted to come up with a story that did basically glorify Gohan, but also twisted the rules of DBZ out of even its own explosive system and take it several levels beyond the boundaries of even the original story.

Why Gohan? Quite frankly… Goku doesn't strike me as an interesting character… I'm gonna be slammed as a DBZ blasphemer for this, but to me… he's too damn perfect! He's innocent, noble, naïve, strong, practically indomitable, and pure to a fault. To me Gohan just had so much more character depth. He was the son of this incredible hero of a man, but had his own set of strengths and weaknesses. The storyline acknowledged Gohan as having unfathomable _potential_ and he is very intelligent. I believe a matured Gohan should have been more resourceful than his father and also a better speaker diplomat. His weakness was his lack of control. Events that got him angry caused him to snap and do things he'd later regret. He also should have been more susceptible to temptations of different levels and take action slightly slower than Goku to give him time to think over and gauge all of the possible outcomes. I am convinced that corporate pressure put on the series after hitting mainstream is what caused a lot of the major changes in the show. I mean… Gohan becomes Saiyaman… and Goku, who never would have hurt a fly if he didn't have to; never tries to talk his enemies into changing their ways again after the cell games. Somehow Goku retains his innocence… but has no issues with blowing bad guys to kingdom come? I don't understand how a change like that can happen. I can see the opposite, someone who blows their opponents away retaining _some_ innocence and starts trying to turn all the bad guys into good guys… but how someone who has always tried to make their enemies see the fault in their ways just stop… I'm getting off track, but I think that makes the point.

ZAT in a sense was inspired by the notion to balance the story back out after the point I felt it fell apart in the original show. I mean that on a mental and emotional balance… not power balance… or whatever… anyway, the inspiration for the story came from a lot of different prime sources. As I mentioned in the notes throughout the story, I've always wanted to write original fiction. As such I research the oddest thing to get a grasp at better science fiction descriptions. Wikipedia has a great article on fourth dimensional hyper cubes by the way. A lot of my concepts for alternate parallel dimensions and fourth dimension traversing come from a mix of watching too much Doctor Who and staying up late reading thesis papers by math students who may or may not be entirely sane. Hence the whole void and space between infinite realms theory.

I did get a lot of ideas from many other sources. I like to use references, but to me they have to have a purpose. One of my favorites was throwing in the Master Sword reference when the Realis was first introduced. To me that gave the Realis a bit more epic appeal. As far as characters go, I wanted to keep the universe kind of knit tight with Akira Toriyama based characters. This is the reason why the direct character crossovers came from Chrono Tirgger, Good ol' Gato, and Blue Dragon, Shu. Those are both awesome RPGs, and the Blue Dragon anime isn't half bad. I'm such a geek I was kind of wondering if anyone would get the reference to chapter 21's title "Northern Crater". Basically… The Northern Crater is where all the black cloaked clones are headed to in Final Fantasy VII for the "Reunion". Heh… bad I know…

One of the things I love about writing is… well the way I normally write is I come up with a loose outline where I basically take notes down of where I'm starting, a few key major points along the way, and where I want to end up. From there, things just happen. It gets excited when I can be just as surprised by what's happening in the story as someone who's reading it. I recommend that technique to other writers: just let something happen, don't try and stop it. That method led to the two chapters inside Buu's body which turned out rather funny. The world never would have been introduced to antibuudies if it wasn't for that.

So at this point I'm sure plenty of people are probably wondering, "What's next?" By no means does completion of ZAT:Immortal signify the end of the ZAT series. I still have a lot of ideas in store for the continuation of ZAT. Some of you who read the story years ago probably remember the sequel that started but was never completed… well it is on! If everything goes to plan then, without giving too much away, the current sub series "ZAT: Serius Prime" will build up to the next big ZAT saga. I also have plans for at least two other sub stories for ZAT, and an outline is also already done for a third ZAT saga after the next one. So as long as everything goes well… ZAT should end up consisting of at least six stories.

A problem does exist…

That problem is I have so many story ideas… I've gotta take a break on ZAT to work on a few other things for a while. I'm sure a few of them aren't exactly the cup of tea for most ZAT readers, however I do have a different DBZ story in the works unrelated to ZAT which I'm hoping the Gohan fans will enjoy.

So please keep an eye out for updates to ZAT: Serius Prime, I promise to have a few of our favorite characters make some special guest appearances! And I hope anyone with an open mind who maybe enjoys some of the more controversial stories might also peek in at some of the other projects I'll be working on.

Thanks a lot for helping me get this far! Please keep in touch my friends!

'Till next time!


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